Sire (The Vampire Rules)
by ecinspired
Summary: *Elijah Mikaelson is THE Original Vampire and the king of the species; and they'd better play by his rules.* This story is a very different take on the Originals history with some plot points similar to the show. It's VERY Elijah-centric and a Elijah/Hayley story. Trevor is a character from TVD. I'm rating it "M" due to violent content. Please enjoy and review! Now complete!
1. The Messenger

**Sire** **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king;  
a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 1: The Messenger**

 _The Journal of Elijah Mikelson*:_

 _In the beginning, our family was human; over a thousand years ago, now. Although our mother dabbled in the dark arts, we were actually just a family trying to survive in a time when it was quite difficult to do so. And, for better or worse, we were happy._

 _That is, however, until one night, our youngest brother was killed by our village's greatest threat; men that could transform themselves into wolves during the full moon. Our family was devastated. Having already lost his eldest daughter to plague years earlier, and desperate to protect the rest of us, our father forced our mother to call upon her black magic in order to make us stronger. Despite her warnings of the dangers, she did so with him and then turned to her children._

 _My remaining siblings, Finn, Kol, Niklaus and Rebekah, were all terrified and begged our parents not to use magic on them. To protect them from the unknown effects of the spell, I volunteered to be the next altered. My parents agreed to wait a day or so before proceeding with the others. But it became clear later that night the dark magic made us demonic creatures, and my mother refused to curse her other children. Thus, the first vampires were born._

 _*Portions of the language used in this journal entry are taken directly from an episode of The Originals._

* * *

 **Present Day  
New Orleans**

Marcel Gerard's French Quarter compound was party central most nights. The gatherings weren't private, but if a tourist wandered in off the street they'd soon regret doing so. The locals knew better than to attend. There were certain places in the Quarter one simply did not go, unless of course you were a member of the earliest established vampire society in America.

Trevor was a non-descript vampire: tall, with brown hair and a slight build. He wasn't the kind most noticed, and he was quite used to that. He spent almost all his time in the company of one who demanded the attention of anyone in the vicinity. At this moment, however, he was on his own. He navigated through the pulsing crowd of youthful vampires gyrating to incessantly loud music. "One can hardly call it such," he thought. "Sire wouldn't tolerate 30 seconds of this noise before putting a stop to it." But fortunately, the King of the Vampires was not there. Instead, he was waiting at the finest hotel in New Orleans for his servant to return from his important errand.

Trevor looked around but was unable to discern the supposed leader of the assembled rabble. He knew the vampire's name, but not his face. "Looking for someone?" A voice made itself heard above all the others buzzing in his ears and he turned to the source. It was another non-descript face, like his own. "Yes, thank you. I am looking for Marcel Gerard."

"What do you want him for?"

"I have a message for him."

"Oh, well I can get him the message."

"No, I must deliver this personally. Fetch him for me." The last words came out in the form of an order, not a request. Most of the time Trevor took orders, it was a rare occasion when he could give them. But he was not only centuries older than any other vampire he would encounter here, but also manservant to the oldest vampire in existence, and that gave him quite a bit of authority.

Thierry, Marcel's closest friend, and member of his inner circle of day walkers, reluctantly walked away to find the vampire in question. Marcel's guys were protective of their leader and this stranger's presence and demeanor concerned Thierry. He located Marcel upstairs on a balcony where he'd been observing the entire encounter.

"Who is that?" he asked his friend.

Thierry shrugged. "He just said he had a message for you that he needed to deliver personally."

Marcel studied the messenger from a distance and assessed he was quite old. In the vampire world, age is not determined by how old one was when turned, but rather by how long ago they were turned. This one seemed more ancient than Marcel himself, a former slave who was turned over 150 years ago. "Bring him into my study," Marcel told Thierry, wanting to hear this mysterious dispatch in private. Thierry went back downstairs to do just that and Marcel went inside. He sat down behind his large desk, assuming a position of authority. He didn't know his posturing would be wasted on the vampire who now entered the room and stood before him.

"Marcel Gerard?"

"That's right, who are you?"

"My name is Trevor, but my name is not important. I am here representing Our Sire, Our King, Elijah Mikelson. Our Sire requires that you prepare his family home for his occupation. You have 24 hours to remove all that," he gestured with a hand towards the door of the room, "riff-raff from the premises and make it suitable for the one who sired us all. I will assist you in any way required."

Marcel fully heard only a small portion of what Trevor said. His mind started swimming at the mention of Elijah Mikelson's name. He had lived a long time with the apprehension that Elijah's brother, Niklaus Mikelson, would someday return to New Orleans. He never entertained the thought of their King coming there. Elijah Mikelson had lived exclusively in Europe, establishing and ruling Vampire colonies there. Why was he coming here now?

Trevor waited, none-to-patiently, for Marcel to respond. Elijah would be even more impatient for Trevor's return and keeping his Sire waiting was not something Trevor did often. "Mr. Gerard," Trevor addressed the still-stunned vampire sitting behind the desk. "Do you understand what I have told you?"

Marcel finally spoke. "Elijah is coming here?"

Trevor shook his head. "You must never address him or refer to him by his name! Did Lord Niklaus teach you nothing?"

Marcel thought it over. Niklaus, or Klaus as he is called by some, was Marcel's direct sire and taught him many things, but never how to talk about their King.

Trevor took his silence as an admission that Marcel was clueless and did some educating on the spot. "He is referred to as 'Our Sire,' and addressed as 'Sire.' You'll need to know that tomorrow when you welcome him to his home."

"He'll be in New Orleans by tomorrow?" Marcel asked, hoping there would be more time to process what was happening.

"He is already in New Orleans," Trevor informed him. "He is waiting for me to return to the hotel. But first I must be certain you have heard and understood the message."

"Yeah," Marcel reluctantly admitted; "I've heard, and I understand." What he really understood was that nothing would ever be the same for the vampires of the French Quarter.

"Good," Trevor continued. "Now, this is what you must do…"

* * *

Rebekah Mikelson watched nervously as her brother Elijah paced the hotel suite. She was always concerned when Elijah seemed agitated. Everyone close to him knew it was incumbent on all of them to keep him as calm as possible. He was a fair and patient ruler, most of the time. The other times were moments no one cared to see repeated. She was also nervous for another reason. Being back in New Orleans after a hundred and fifty years was a shock to her system. As was the thought of seeing Marcel Gerard again; and the thought of what Elijah would do to both of them if he ever found out about the history they once shared.


	2. Always and Forever

**Sire** **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king;  
a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 2: Always and Forever**

 _The Journal of Elijah Mikelson:_

 _I never wanted to turn my siblings. It still troubles me to this day that I made them into what I am. Niklaus was the first. He came to me a few weeks after our father Mikael and I had been cursed and explained his fear of our father's retribution. Mikael had already slaughtered the neighboring village of werewolves; one of whom had killed my brother Henrik. Mikael never liked Niklaus, for reasons Mikael himself was never aware of. Adding to this dislike, this hate, was that Niklaus was with our brother Henrik the night the werewolf took him from us. Our father wondered: Why did Niklaus take him to watch the transformations? Why was Niklaus spared?_

 _Niklaus felt guilt about that night, a guilt he still carries although few would know the role that plays in the rage with which he lives his life. But back then, more than the guilt, he felt fear of our father. My mother also feared her husband; he was a brute to all of us at one time or another. And now, he was an immortal, incredibly strong, and blood-thirsty brute. He hadn't yet fed on any of us, and I hadn't either, but we all felt he was on the verge of turning his aggression on us at any time._

 _My mother pulled me aside one night after father had gone hunting for fresh blood in the nearby villages. "You are the only one who can protect us from him," she told me. I asked how. She handed me a large wooden stake. It was light in color and intricately carved. "This is the remaining piece of the tree under which I cast the spell; I burned the rest of the tree to ash. I have enchanted this piece and it alone can kill you or your father. I cannot risk him acquiring it from me; you would have no protection. If the time comes that he is too much of a danger to any of us you must use it."_

 _I remember being stunned by her words and asking, "Kill my own father?" She nodded her head, "Yes my son, there will come a time when you must do just that."_

 _I did not tell Niklaus about the white oak stake when he came to me with his concerns about Mikael. He begged me to talk to our mother about cursing him as well. By then the whole family knew most of the manifestations of the curse. I was stronger, faster, and healed quickly from injury. On the downside, of course, I needed to consume human blood. I hungered for it with a ferocity that could not be contained._

 _But where Niklaus was concerned, I knew my choices were limited:_

 _Do nothing and our father would probably kill him._

 _Kill our father myself; or,_

 _Turn Niklaus into a monster as well.  
_

 _I decided the third option was the preferable solution and together we approached our mother. Esther told us she was not needed to transform Niklaus; I could do that on my own. She explained how and Niklaus and I headed into the woods for privacy. I bit into my own wrist and he drank of my blood. He said it was appalling and that he felt no different. What our mother neglected to tell us was that he wouldn't be fully transformed until he died; that happened when our father returned from his hunt and found Niklaus alone. My brother knew by the pronounced veins on Mikael's face and the fury in his eyes, death was at hand._

* * *

 **Present Day  
New Orleans**

It was another 30 minutes before Trevor returned to the hotel. Elijah turned to him with an exasperated glare when he entered the suite and snapped, "It takes two hours to go to the other side of the Quarter to deliver a message?"

Trevor bowed his head, swallowed hard, and chose his words carefully before looking up again. "Forgive me Sire; it took some time to locate Mr. Gerard."

"Was he not at the compound?"

"He was, but there was a large gathering with many…"

Elijah cut him off with a wave of his hand, and Trevor stopped speaking. Elijah knew without being told that Marcel was reluctant to comply with his orders. He had encountered these same difficulties everywhere he went; everywhere he tried to establish new vampire colonies. Organizing existing vampires into ordered society was much more difficult than if one sired a group. Those he turned would automatically be beholden to his word and would follow his orders. But Elijah hadn't turned anyone but his siblings, and that had been a millennium ago. He believed there were too many vampires in the world already, and he saw most of them as rabid animals with no honor or conscience.

Trevor knew his Sire would feel that way about most of the crowd gathered at Marcel's house. He hoped Marcel would do as instructed and banish the lot of them from the premises.

"How did he respond to the news?" Elijah interrupted Trevor's thoughts.

Rebekah was quietly sitting in a corner of the room. She listened intently to the exchange between her brother and his servant, hoping Trevor would say nothing to anger Elijah further, especially nothing negative about Marcel.

"He was surprised you have come here," Trevor answered honestly. "But he understands what he needs to do."

"Surprised, and not happy," Elijah stated.

"Yes Sire."

"Forgive my mood Trevor," Elijah requested. "I am anticipating the challenges ahead."

Trevor bowed his head again and said, "Thank you My Sire." His heart swelled with admiration for his King. Yes, Elijah was sometimes irritable and was certainly vicious when angry, but mostly he was a fair and just ruler.

Elijah looked at his sister. "Have you spoken with Niklaus?"

Rebekah nodded, "Yes, of course. But he's not coming anytime soon."

Elijah looked up at the ceiling and tried not to get upset again. "I've over-indulged him; he's taking advantage of my generosity."

"Nik always looks out for himself first, you know that," Rebekah quipped.

Elijah looked at her quizzically. "Are you forgetting how he sent you back to me in Europe because your homesickness was so great? That wasn't being selfish."

Rebekah bit her own tongue, literally. She wasn't prepared to have that lie thrown back in her face by its recipient. Over 150 years ago she and Niklaus were living in New Orleans, ruling the burgeoning Vampire society in the French Quarter. Marcel Gerard was a young man Klaus had rescued as a boy from slavery, and Klaus loved him as a son. Klaus didn't like sharing his sister with any other man, not that his possession of her was sexual in nature, and he certainly didn't want to share Marcel with her. Once he noticed their growing attraction to each other he sent her packing back to Elijah. To make it up to Marcel, Klaus gave in and fulfilled the young man's dream of becoming a vampire. When Rebekah arrived back at Elijah's estate in Europe, she lied, told him she was homesick, and had missed her Sire too much to stay away.

Finally Rebekah replied to Elijah, who'd been studying her expression, unable to discern the source of it. "You are right brother; I'm sorry I was so hard on him."

"Hasn't he had his fill of keeping company with the wolves yet?" Elijah asked.

"Well apparently there's a lady wolf he hooked up with one night, and a lovely vamp he's besotted with," Rebekah explained.

Elijah had heard enough. "Get him on the phone," he ordered. Trevor was still standing near his King waiting to be dismissed, or commanded. Elijah looked at him. "Get some rest, and then go back there in the morning and make sure Gerard is preparing our home in a suitable manner."

"Forgive me, Sire…" Trevor began.

"What?"

"…you'll need me here, won't you?"

"My sister will attend to me; at least one of my siblings remembers their obligations."

Trevor bowed his head yet again, then turned and retired to his adjoining hotel room. He was still concerned about his Sire's aggravated state and wondered how much worse it would get if the Lord Niklaus said the wrong thing.

"Nik, Elijah wants to speak with you," Rebekah informed her other brother on the phone. She then handed it to Elijah.

"Niklaus..."

"Brother…"Klaus began, ready to spin his reasons for wanting to stay in Mystic Falls longer.

"Let's try that again Niklaus," Elijah stated; "call me 'Sire' and then listen and obey what I tell you to do."

Klaus thought about contradicting him but knew there was a line one should never push Elijah across. Since Elijah was more powerful than any of his siblings, crossing that point could be disastrous. And there was the matter of that red door in Elijah's mind…

"Sire," Klaus replied, "may I stay here a few more days? I promise I will then join you in our family's American home."

"You have one more day," Elijah conceded. "Then you will take your place by my side. I have a feeling there will be many issues here for you to address." Since Niklaus was a Hybrid, both a vampire and werewolf, he possessed special abilities that made him uniquely qualified to motivate reluctant vampires to fall in line with Elijah's vampire society rules.

"I will be there in two days," Klaus promised. Elijah hung up and handed the phone back to Rebekah.

"Are you OK?" she asked him.

"Irritated, and in need of a drink," he replied.

She walked over to the mini bar to pour him a scotch. Halfway there she turned back. "Did you mean a drink, or a DRINK?"

The pronounced veins in his face gave her the answer. She walked over to the desk phone and picked it up. "Room service please."'

* * *

 **1,000 A.D.**

" _Rebekah, walk with me." Esther Mikelson guided her daughter away from their family dwellings for a private chat. Once out of earshot, which was quite a distance considering the family consisted mostly of vampires, Esther explained, "_ N _ow that your brother has turned you too there is something you need to know about him." Rebekah had been the last of the siblings to be turned. She had begged her brothers to make her immortal so she could share eternal life with them all. She drank Elijah's blood_ , _but he couldn't bring himself to snap her neck. Niklaus saw Elijah's struggle and killed their sister for him. When she awoke, she drank from Elijah again to complete her transformation. All of them had done the same, and continued to for a full year after being turned. Elijah had commanded his siblings to drink only from him. His blood would make them strong, and he alone would hunt for blood from innocents._

 _Esther continued, "The burden of what he's done, what he will continue to do, is too much for Elijah to bear on his own. So I have created for him, in his mind, a red door. When he kills, or when he makes another into what he is, as he's done with his siblings, he will put the guilt and pain of that action behind that red door and therefore out of his conscience mind. As long as he keeps himself neat and clean he will not feel the effects of the horrors he has perpetrated. But you my daughter must take care to never let him experience too much anger. If he does that door may open and his rage would be uncontrollable. Do you understand?"_

 _Rebekah assured her mother that she did understand. She quickly told Niklaus about the red door and he promised to help her keep it shut. Klaus owed Elijah much he could never repay. Elijah had always protected him, especially from their brute of a father whom Elijah had ultimately killed. The two siblings promised each other they would remain ever vigilant where the welfare of their brother, their Sire, was concerned. "Always and forever," they swore. Approaching and hearing the end of their oath, Elijah inquired, "A pact that doesn't include me?"_

" _Of course it includes you," Rebekah smiled and put her hand out to him_. _"Always and forever My Sire." Elijah smiled back at her._

" _Always and forever My Sire," Klaus echoed. Elijah put out his other hand to his brother who took it in his. "Always and forever," Elijah repeated as Rebekah and Klaus joined hands to make the triad complete._


	3. Sibling Bonds

**Sire** **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king;  
a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 3: Sibling Bonds**

 _The Journal of Elijah Mikelson:_

 _I've finally convinced Niklaus to join us in New Orleans. Why I had to convince him, why he didn't just do as I bade months ago as I planned this move, I do not know. My brother has marched to the beat of his own drum ever since his true nature was revealed. That night was a year after our father killed him; that night was when we realized how different Niklaus really was._

 _But back on the night my brother died, Mikael was enraged when Niklaus awoke after having his neck snapped. "Will I never be rid of you boy?" he snarled. He then turned to my mother. "What did you do woman? You performed the spell on him without consulting me?" My mother stared at him with defiance knowing I would be killing my father at any moment._

" _She did nothing father," I stated, my insides churning. "I fed him my blood." Mikael looked at me first with puzzlement and then with realization. "Ah, I understand. So if we feed someone our blood and then they die they will be turned like us."_

" _That is correct," Esther told him._

" _But," he paused then continued. "Since Elijah created him"…he wouldn't even look at Niklaus…"can he destroy him?"_

" _He can," Esther replied. "But he will not, no matter what you say or do."_

 _Mikael smiled confident in his ability to get me to do his bidding. In a flash he had moved behind my mother and was holding her neck at a precarious angle. She looked at me and calmly stated, "It's all right my son."_

" _Kill him boy!" my father bellowed._

 _Somehow I moved faster than he had just done. I was behind him and plunged the white oak stake through his back and into his heart before he could react. He burst into flames and my mother managed to escape his loosening grasp. Soon there was nothing left of my father or the stake but a pile of ash. Esther suffered some burns but easily repaired her skin with magic. I remember falling to my knees. She came to my side and whispered something in my ear; I cannot recall the words. I only remember that I was calm, as if all the bad thoughts and feelings I should have experienced were locked away somewhere._

* * *

 **Present Day  
Mystic Falls, Virginia  
the Following Morning**

"What do you mean 'we' are going to New Orleans?" Hayley Marshall snapped.

Niklaus Mikelson stared at her. "Is it that a confusing statement? I must go, and since you are carrying my child _,_ you will go with me."

Hayley stared at him in disbelief; one stupid drunken mistake with someone who clearly cared nothing for her, and now he thinks he can run her life? "I think you'd rather take that blonde vampire with you," she stated _._ "I still have things to do here." She fingered the moonlight ring Klaus had given her. She now had the ability to avoid turning at the full moon but the other wolves in her pack, wherever they were, had no such protection. She worried about them before even meeting them.

"I certainly would like that, but she has other ideas. And she is not pregnant with the only new Mikelson to eventually walk this earth in over a thousand years!" Klaus raised his voice to emphasize his intent.

"I'm not done searching for my pack," the young werewolf added, hoping that would dissuade him from forcing her to leave Mystic Falls.

Klaus smiled. "And you shall continue to search for them where they actually are, the Bayou of New Orleans."

Hayley was enraged. "You bastard, you've been lying to me all this time to keep me here with you?"

"And now I'm telling you the truth so that you'll go there with me. That worked out rather nicely I think."

Hayley's blood was boiling, and Klaus continued. "Hate me all you want but you have no say in the matter. If I need to forcibly take you with me I will. Remember I am the Hybrid. My brother insists I come at once so we are leaving as soon as I tie up some loose ends here."

Hayley calmed down at the mention of Klaus' brother. He was the one being that seemed to have some control over Klaus and would be a very good ally to have. "Tell me more about him," she said. "Please."

"Elijah? He is the noble one, always trying to do what's best for everyone else. He spent a thousand years running all over Europe trying to civilize the vampires his siblings sired. That was a thankless task, I assure you. Then, he let me come to America to find my wolf relatives, and he sent our sister with me so I wouldn't be alone. He needed her more than I did and I ended up sending her back to him fairly quickly. Frankly, he should think of what he needs more often."

Hayley scoffed, "Like you, you mean?"

"Precisely. What good is it being the king of an entire species if you can't indulge yourself once in awhile?"

"Wait a minute; he's the king, the king of the vampires?"

"Yes. Our King, and Our Sire, father to us all."

Hayley was very happy to hear that. "Fine, I will go with you to New Orleans and meet your brother the king. After all he's going to be our baby's Uncle and will no doubt care about what happens to both of us."

Klaus thought about it; she was right, Elijah would care very much about the baby. The news would be the greatest gift Klaus could ever give his Sire. And with all of Klaus' selfish choices over the years, it was probably time he did something to show his appreciation for his brother and all he has sacrificed for all of them.

* * *

 **The French Quarter, New Orleans**

"You didn't need to come back this early," Marcel told Trevor. "We can handle this."

Trevor looked around the compound; there were roughly 15 day walkers hurrying about, moving furniture, cleaning, etc.

"Our Sire wanted me to supervise, so I will supervise," he stated.

One of the young vampires stopped and confronted him. "How does it feel to be nothing but a lackey, bowing and scraping 24-by-7?"

"Diego!" Marcel admonished.

Trevor wasn't bothered by his words at all. He smiled and answered, "You think it's a hardship to be personal manservant to Our Sire? I assure you, it is an honor; an honor that I alone have experienced in a 1,000 years. Your pathetic attempts to insult me only demonstrate how ignorant you are about your own history. I assure you, Our Sire will educate you and it will not be pleasant."

Diego scoffed at him and then turned to Marcel. "You gonna just let them come in here and take over?"

Marcel hesitated before responding. He knew Trevor was right; Elijah was going to educate them all. In other words, he was going to whip them into shape. And there was nothing Marcel or anyone could do about it. But he didn't want to lose his authority with his progeny so he chose his words carefully. "Just go do what I said Diego, or are you challenging me as well?"

Diego smiled, happy to see his leader still had some backbone. "No problem." He sped away and Marcel turned back to Trevor. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go supervise _my_ crew."

After Marcel left the courtyard Trevor looked around and thought, "It's a shame they're cleaning this up so well, it won't stay that way for long. There will be much blood spilled here."

* * *

It was mid-day when Trevor's cell phone rang. He knew who was calling without looking at the screen. "Sire," he answered.

"Rebekah went out shopping; she doesn't trust those vampires to select the appropriate linens for our bedrooms. You may return now, and she'll go there and supervise when she completes her errands."

"Right away Sire," Trevor replied. Disconnecting the call he looked around for Marcel. He found him in what would soon be Rebekah's room. "I must leave," he stated.

"You weren't needed here anyway," Marcel replied. "I'm almost done with Bekah's room, and will address Elij…I mean Our Sire's room, next."

Trevor bristled at Marcel's familiar name for the Lady Rebekah, and the subtext behind it, but didn't correct him. He was certain his Sire would find the choice of name very interesting but there was no need to alert Marcel to that.

Instead he said, "She will be here soon, with linens apparently."

Marcel nodded his head trying to hide his excitement at the news. He was hoping for a chance to see Rebekah alone without her brother around. Her other brother, Niklaus, was over-protective and possessive of his sister to a fault and Marcel had no doubt Elijah was the same. What if the old feelings were still there between them? How would they hide it? And if Niklaus had reacted to their love by sending Rebekah on a ship back to Europe 150 years ago, what would Elijah's reaction be?


	4. A Reunion and an Introduction

**Sire** **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king;  
a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 4: A Reunion and an Introduction**

Still busy with the preparations for the arrival of the King, the day walkers nonetheless stopped their activities and stared as a beautiful, statuesque blonde vampire entered the compound. She carried several shopping bags and acted as if she owned the place. "It looks exactly the same," she declared, not bothering to introduce herself to those watching her. "Well if you think so, we're in good shape," Marcel Gerard commented from the balcony. Rebekah dropped her bags and stared up at him. "Marcel," she whispered. "Bekah," he whispered back. He sped down to her level and addressed his vampires. "Show some respect everyone, we're in the presence of the Lady Rebekah, an Original Vampire."

The others didn't exactly know what to do with that directive so instead they resumed their work. "They bloody-well better do better than that when he gets here," Rebekah quipped, noticing the lack of an appropriate response to her title. "Yeah, sorry," Marcel apologized. "I guess I have been pretty lax in their education. Frankly, I never thought any of you would come back here."

"Thought we wouldn't, or hoped we wouldn't?" Rebekah asked staring into his eyes.

Marcel stared back and didn't blink. "Honestly? I hoped Niklaus would stay away; I've been in charge for a long time now, and I didn't want to give that up. And I never entertained the possibility of Elij…Our Sire wanting to come live here. But I hoped every day you would come back; I still love you Bekah."

Tears trickled down Rebekah's cheeks. "And I love you Marcel," she told him. Then she remembered the reality of their situation, and added, "And that means we've got a serious, bloody problem."

* * *

Trevor had returned to the hotel and reported on the progress at the compound. "They're doing an excellent job, Sire."

Elijah was pleased. "Glad to hear it. But I don't suppose this time will go smoother than all the others, do you?"

"No Sire, not really. It's always a difficult transition for those used to ruling themselves."

Elijah nodded his head, "I can understand that. I just have very little patience left after doing this for over 1,000 years. At least my brother will be here soon; that will help. And of course Rebekah is always reliable."

Trevor thought about the best way to phrase his suspicions about the Lady Rebekah and Marcel Gerard. Elijah could see there was something on his servant's mind. "Problem, Trevor?"

"I…I'm not certain, Sire. When I was speaking with Marcel earlier he referred to the Lady Rebekah in a familiar manner. I found it odd."

Elijah was not concerned. "They knew each other before, when she and Niklaus lived here, so that makes sense."

"What I mean Sire is that his manner, his address, indicated they were familiar…with each other."

Elijah stared at him and asked in a measured tone. "What exactly did he say?"

"He referred to her as 'Bekah' to me."

"Bekah? I've never known anyone to call her that."

"Exactly what I thought, Sire," Trevor nervously agreed.

"Well that explains a lot," Elijah stated angrily. "She and Marcel were involved, and Niklaus put an end to it by sending her back to me. And they both lied to me about it."

Trevor swallowed hard. He remembered one time very early on when he had lied to his Sire. He had done it to cover up an even worse transgression, and the ramifications for both offenses came at the end of a whip, with a lot of pain and a lot of blood. Was that in store for his Sire's siblings and Marcel Gerard?

* * *

As night approached, Trevor packed Elijah and Rebekah's clothing and prepared for the move to the compound. The desk phone rang, and he stopped to answer it. The front desk clerk told him a woman named Sophie Deveraux was at the front desk asking to see Mr. Elijah Mikelson. "I will come down," Trevor informed them. His Sire was resting in the other room so Trevor left without disturbing him.

He found the young lady waiting in the lobby. "Sophie Deveraux?"

"Yes Mr. Mikelson, thank you for…"

Trevor cut her off. "I am not Mr. Mikelson, I am his assistant. Why do you wish to speak with him?" He could tell she was human and couldn't imagine what business she would have with his King.

Sophie assumed she was speaking with a vampire so she answered his question very quietly. "I know who he is. I need to speak with him about Marcel Gerard."

Trevor was alarmed by the mention of Marcel's name but even more so by her admission that she knew who Elijah was. He grabbed her arm and guided her towards the elevators. Once inside he told her angrily, "You are either very brave or very stupid coming here alone and confessing to such dangerous knowledge."

His grip on her arm was painful but Sophie tried to maintain her composure. "There's a third option," she told him. "That I'm very desperate and your King is the only one who can help me."


	5. All Hail the King

**Sire** **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.  
Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 5: All Hail the King**

Elijah looked around the hotel suite for Trevor. He had clearly been in the middle of packing, so where had he gone and why had he gone? The door opened and the vampire in question re-entered. But before Elijah could inquire as to his prior whereabouts someone followed him into the room, a human female. Elijah looked at Trevor with raised eyebrows. "Sire," Trevor began, "this is Sophie Deveraux and she wishes an audience with you." Elijah's puzzlement continued; why was Trevor referring to him as "Sire" in front of a human? Such an address would prompt questions they didn't want to deal with.

Trevor answered the unspoken inquiry. "She knows who you are."

Elijah looked at Sophie who was standing there, bravely looking him in the face. He studied her in return. "Human, but something else…" he murmured.

"Yes I'm…" Sophie began to reply.

"A servant of nature," Elijah concluded.

Sophie smiled at his use of the archaic term for witches. "That's right, very good."

"You say you know who I am, but you probably don't know my mother was one of the original witches," Elijah informed her.

Sophie was taken aback. "I didn't know that. Well, that makes you even more the man for the job."

Elijah chuckled at the expression. "The man for what job, and why should I even care?"

"The job of stopping Marcel Gerard's persecution of the witches," Sophie replied. "And you should care because, as you probably know from your mother, there needs to be balance. And with Marcel in charge there is no balance in New Orleans. He has slaughtered most of the werewolves and driven the rest into the Bayou. And he harasses and terrorizes the witches in the Quarter on a weekly basis. And you, the King of the Vampires, are the only one who can set this all right."

Elijah thought it over. He certainly agreed with her that there must be balance in the supernatural world; his mother did teach him that. But how was he to achieve that without seeming to do the witches' bidding?

"I will assess the situation myself," he told Sophie. "And 'do the job' as I see fit."

Sophie was satisfied with that answer for the time being. She knew once he saw the full scope of Marcel's tyranny he'd put a stop to it. After all, there could only be one king in New Orleans.

Trevor started to show her to the door when Elijah stopped them. "How did you know who I was; did a local vampire tell you?"

Sophie turned back to him and shook her head. "We were praying to our ancestors, looking for a solution to the Marcel problem. They told us about an ancient vampire king named Elijah who would soon be among us. We enacted a spell that would tell us when someone with that name entered The Quarter, and that alerted us to you and to where you were located."

"Interesting," Elijah replied aloud. And troubling, he silently thought.

* * *

Rebekah was putting the finishing touches on Elijah's bedroom when her cellphone rang. "We'll be there in ten minutes, My Lady," Trevor told her when she picked up the call. "Please make sure there's an appropriate welcome."

Rebekah hung up without speaking and left the room. "Marcel!" she called loudly. He sped to her side. "He's coming?"

"Yes, any minute now. Get everyone in place," she ordered. She had earlier instructed Marcel on what to do when the moment arrived. His day walkers should form two lines in the compound, facing each other. Between them should be a generous alley for the King to walk through. Marcel and Rebekah would stand at the end, awaiting him as he entered. Everyone should bow their head as he passes.

Marcel had communicated these instructions earlier to his crew and was met with disbelief and anger. "Bow our heads?" Diego had scoffed. "We ain't slaves no more brother."

"No we're not," Marcel snapped back. "We're vampires. And the reason we're vampires is because he sired us. That makes him 'the man' whether you like it, or whether I like it for that matter."

"It sure doesn't seem like you have a problem with it," Thierry remarked.

"Well I do, but I also know there's not a damn thing I can do about it. He is _the_ Original Vampire. That means if he dies we ALL die," Marcel explained.

"Actually," Rebekah joined the gathering, "he can't die."

They all looked at her quizzically and she continued. "There is no way to kill him, but he _can_ kill you. And if he knew what is being said here he would kill you all in the blink of an eye."

"Bekah," Marcel implored, "please don't tell him."

"I won't, this time," she promised looking at the assembled day walkers. "But if I ever hear any of you speak like that again about Our Sire, I'll bloody well kill you myself."

* * *

Marcel was able to get his day walkers into the correct formation just before Trevor entered the compound. As he crossed the threshold he loudly declared, "All hail Our Sire, Elijah Mikelson, King of the Vampires!" Trevor then stepped aside to make way for the king.

Elijah entered behind him and walked past the vampires who all bowed their heads as instructed. After Elijah came to a stop in front of Rebekah and Marcel, Trevor moved to stand next to them. "Sire," Marcel said, "welcome." He bowed his head respectfully and waited to hear Elijah speaking before raising it again.

"Marcel Gerard, I presume," Elijah replied. Marcel lifted his head and looked his sovereign in the eyes. "I am Marcel, Sire." He saw a handsome, noble, strong face looking back at him with respect but also with authority. Elijah spoke again, "Thank you for all the preparations you have done here; I'm sure it'll be quite comfortable."

"Thank you Sire, I do hope you're pleased with it. May I show you around?" Marcel asked.

Elijah turned and looked at the collected vampires still standing in their lines. They were all staring back at him, no doubt sizing him up. "Actually," Elijah replied, "since everyone is already assembled there are some things we need to get out of the way." He turned back to Marcel and added with a smile, "No time like the present."

Marcel smiled back and nodded his head, but felt Elijah's grin was not quite sincere. It was as if he was about to do or say something he knew would be upsetting to those gathered before him.

Elijah looked at Trevor who stepped forward. They both faced the day walkers. Marcel was still behind Elijah. That was remedied by Rebekah who motioned him to join the others. She then took her place at her brother's side.

Trevor began to speak in a loud, clear voice:

"These are the Vampire Rules. You are commanded by Our Sire to listen, remember, and obey…"


	6. The Vampire Rules

**Sire (The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father

 **Chapter 6: The Vampire Rules**

"These are the Vampire Rules. You are commanded by Our Sire to listen, remember, and obey:

 _1\. Elijah Mikelson is the King of the Vampires. You must obey your King's commandments. Failure to do so will result in punishment, up to and including death._

 _2\. When your King speaks to you respond immediately addressing him as 'Sire.' When speaking of him to a third party, address him as 'Our Sire.' Failure to do so will result in punishment._

 _3\. You must obey the orders or instructions of any other Original Vampire. Although they are also subject to the commandments and rule of Our Sire, they reign supreme over any other vampire."_

Thierry raised his hand, interrupting Trevor who looked at him with annoyance and snapped, "What is it?"

Elijah chided him, "Trevor, we welcome questions. That is how we know we are heard and understood, is it not?"

"Apologies, Sire," Trevor said, ashamed at his own impatience.

"What is your question?" Elijah asked the young vampire.

"Can you define who is an 'Original Vampire'? Otherwise, we don't know who to take orders from. For example, is he one?" He pointed at Trevor.

Elijah gladly explained. "No, he is not. There are five of us, myself and my siblings. You have already met my sister, the Lady Rebekah, and will soon meet my brother, The Lord Niklaus."

Marcel looked at Rebekah, shocked to hear Niklaus would be joining them in New Orleans. She mouthed, "Sorry," feeling badly that she hadn't warned him. Their exchange did not go unnoticed by Elijah even as he was responding to the inquiry.

"Our other brothers, the Lords Kol and Finn, rule in my name in Europe," Elijah added.

Thierry then asked a follow-up question. "So what is the difference between an Original and other vampires, like Marcel for example?"

Elijah replied, "The Originals were sired by me, and fed my blood exclusively for the first year of their lives. They are almost as strong as I am. Any vampires sired by my progeny are second-generation and therefore not Originals. I have directly-sired no other vampire. My man here," he motioned to Trevor, "was sired by my brother Niklaus who thought if I had a servant it would free him up to indulge his own debauched whims." Rebekah almost snickered at her brother's accurate assessment of Klaus' motives.

The rest of the assembled company did not feel like laughing. The implication of their King's statement was clear to the day walkers: Marcel had no authority now that the Originals were around. Elijah quickly perceived, and then countered, this assumption. "Marcel is still your leader, but he _is_ subject to our authority. After a period of adjustment, we will not be interacting with you or telling you what to do on a daily basis. That will still be his responsibility."

Marcel was happy to hear it, and his vampires seemed fairly content as well until Elijah added, "However, if any of us give you an order, do not look to Marcel to confirm it. And if my servant tells you to do something, in my name, that is as good as it coming from my lips. I warn you now I have little patience for disobedience." He left that tidbit hanging in the air and then instructed his servant, "Continue Trevor."

Trevor did just that. "These are more of the Vampire Rules. You are commanded by Our Sire to listen, remember, and obey:

 _4\. When asked a question by Our Sire, or by any other Original Vampire, you are required to answer fully and honestly. Failure to do so will result in punishment._

 _5\. The use of Vervain by vampires is strictly prohibited. Vervain is a natural substance which inhibits the effects of compulsion. Since only Original Vampires may compel other vampires, its use is a direct rejection of Original Vampire authority. Failure to comply with this law will result in punishment."_

The fifth rule caused rumblings amongst the day walkers; they could be compelled by Originals? The prospect did not sit well with any of them. Marcel was not surprised by the revelation; he'd been compelled by Klaus in the past. Once he found out Elijah was taking up residence in New Orleans, he'd been planning to take Vervain, but he hadn't yet located any and was now reconsidering doing so.

Elijah took note of their discomfort but didn't comment out loud. Trevor continued,

 _6\. "Vampires may only use compulsion on humans to facilitate feeding when absolutely necessary. Vampires should drink bagged blood whenever available. No human in the local community should be targeted for blood. If blood from a live human is needed, a tourist or outsider should be targeted. Compulsion must then be used to erase the human's memory of the encounter and of the vampire's existence._

 _7\. Daylight rings are a privilege, not a right. Our Sire may award them, or take them away, at his discretion._

 _8\. Sexual encounters between vampires must be entirely consensual. Sexual encounters between vampires and humans must be entirely consensual, and the human must know their partner is a vampire before the encounter. Compulsion must then be used to erase the human's memory of the encounter and of the vampire's nature."_

Diego could no longer control his disgust, or an outburst. "So basically all our fun is against the law? This sucks!"

Trevor and Rebekah both caught their breath and looked at Elijah. His eyes dilated and his facial veins became obvious. They both knew what was coming next.

In a flash, Elijah was next to Diego and holding him high in the air with one strong hand around the throat. "You young vampires," he stated to everyone, not just his victim. "So arrogant, so disrespectful…" Diego was grabbing at Elijah's hand in a pathetic attempt to free himself; his airflow almost fully cut off. Elijah continued, "…so ignorant of your own history. We are cursed creatures fighting for our survival every day; we do not exist to have _fun_!" As punctuation to his lecture Elijah snapped Diego's neck with one flick of his wrist and flung him across the entire compound.

"I see we've arrived just in time for the good part!" a voice rang out from the street entrance.

Everyone turned to its source and found a tall, fair-haired vampire. "Nik!" Rebekah exclaimed.

It was indeed Niklaus Mikelson, and with him was a pretty, slender young lady with long brown hair. Although scared by his display of power, Hayley Marshall couldn't take her eyes off the King of the Vampires. He was handsome, impeccably dressed in a grey suit, white shirt, and dark tie, and clearly very dangerous. And when Elijah saw her he felt an equal necessity to not look away.


	7. The Prodigal Brother Arrives…Early

**Sire (The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father

 **Chapter 7: The Prodigal Brother Arrives…Early**

There was quite a bit of chaos in the courtyard. The day walkers, already anxious over the condition of Diego who lay quite still and broken on the stone floor, were further agitated by the entrance of another ancient vampire accompanied by a werewolf. Marcel was unsure what to do. His instinct was to go to Diego's side, but he knew the day walker would wake in time and be fine, at least physically. But he also knew he needed to stay put and greet his sire, Niklaus.

Elijah was still angry, but also happy that his brother had shown up preventing him from further displaying his authority. And then there was the pretty wolf standing next to Niklaus; who was she, and why did he feel so instantly attracted to her?

Rebekah was also grateful for Klaus' premature arrival. Hopefully it would calm Elijah down and distract him from snapping more necks. She wanted to run to her brother and give him a hug, but knew Klaus should pay his respects to Elijah first.

Niklaus did just that. He walked over to his brother and stood before him. Putting a hand to his heart, he bowed at the waist. "My Sire," he said. "Brother," Elijah replied before glancing at Trevor.

Trevor got the formalities out of the way by announcing, "Presenting the Lord Niklaus Mikelson."

Elijah then opened his arms and Klaus moved in for an embrace. "You're early," Elijah quipped in his ear. "Quite unexpectedly."

Klaus smiled and hugged him tightly. "I knew you'd need my help dealing with this lot."

Elijah released him with a smile and replied, "You were correct in that thought."

Niklaus looked to his sister, who rushed into his arms. "Little sister, it is good to hold you again." Rebekah rested her head against his shoulder and remained in his grasp a few moments longer. Klaus saw Marcel standing behind her. He released his sister and opened his arms up to his progeny, who gladly took her place.

"Marcellus."

"Klaus, welcome home."

Elijah interrupted the reunions with an order. "Marcel, dismiss your vampires."

Marcel pulled away from Klaus and told his day walkers to retire to their apartments, located across the courtyard from the family dwelling.

"What about Diego?" Thierry asked through clenched teeth.

Marcel glanced at Elijah who looked away indicating he had no preference in the matter.

"Carry him to his room," Marcel ordered. "He'll wake soon."

* * *

Once the day walkers had gone, Elijah turned to the female werewolf who had been standing silently near the compound entrance. "Forgive my manners; I'm Elijah, Niklaus' brother."

Hayley walked towards him and stopped a few feet away. "I'm not sure what to do here," she confessed. "Am I supposed to bow or something?"

Elijah chuckled. "No that's not necessary, telling me your name will suffice."

"I'm Hayley Marshall, and I'm…"

"A werewolf," Klaus interjected, "as you have no doubt concluded on your own, brother."

Elijah studied Hayley's face. She was quite pretty, with large, warm eyes. "Welcome Hayley," he said in a low voice.

Klaus took Hayley by the arm and guided her towards the others. "This is my sister Rebekah, my scion Marcel, and Elijah's manservant Trevor."

Trevor, unsure of who Hayley was to the Lord Niklaus, bowed his head to her. Rebekah and Marcel simply said it was nice to meet her.

Elijah watched the group and remembered something he wanted to address. "So," he began, causing everyone to turn and look at him, "Marcel seems to have familiar names for both of my siblings. He refers to Niklaus as 'Klaus', and to Rebekah as…" he looked at Trevor… "'Bekah', was it?"

Marcel felt a cold sweat break out all over his body, and Rebekah swallowed hard. Niklaus was at first confused but then realized what Elijah was going on about. "Ah, so you've figured us out have you?"

"Figured out that you have been lying to me for 150 years, yes indeed," Elijah replied, his tone indicating his displeasure. Hayley watched nervously. Was Elijah about to grab someone else by the throat?

* * *

The discussion was moved to Marcel's former, now Elijah's, study. Niklaus tried to explain their deception. "I admit I was a tad unfair to Rebekah back then. Frankly, I was possessive of each of them and didn't want to share them with the other. So when I sent her back to you, I promised I wouldn't tell you the real reason. I felt she was being punished enough."

Elijah looked at Rebekah, "And you?"

Rebekah nervously explained, "I…I was afraid you would punish Marcel further if you knew I loved him."

Elijah raised his eyebrows. "It was love, not a dalliance?"

Marcel spoke up, "It still is, Sire. I still love her."

Rebekah added, "And I him; please brother."

Hayley again stayed silent and observed. Elijah's response to their admissions would tell her a lot about his character. She hoped for the best, not wanting to think badly of him in any way.

"I will admit," Elijah began, "I would have objected back then. After all Marcel was a…"

"Slave?" Marcel said in a defensive tone.

"…human," Elijah finished his sentence then added, "Don't interrupt me, it's disrespectful."

Rebekah shot Marcel a "did you have to?" glance and he apologized. "Sorry, Sire."

Elijah took a deep breath and then let it out. They all watched him intently. Elijah had half a mind to not be generous after all. But then he saw Hayley looking at him and said, "Lying to me is never acceptable, remember that. As for your relationship with Marcel, I have no issue now that he is a vampire."

Rebekah let out a squeal and launched herself at her brother. "Thank you, thank you!" she yelled as she hugged him. "Rebekah!" he admonished, "conduct yourself like a lady, please!" She giggled and gave him a big smooch on the cheek. Marcel added his thanks to the mix and then he and Rebekah took hands.

"Does anyone care to know my thoughts on the matter?" Niklaus quipped.

"No!" was the universal reply. The Hybrid smiled and told them anyway. "You lot are fortunate I have other matters to focus on; matters much more important than your pathetic love story."

Elijah was concerned. "What matters, Niklaus?"

Klaus stepped over to Hayley's side. "I didn't fully introduce Hayley earlier. She is, as you know, a werewolf. She is also a member of the Crescent Wolf Pack of New Orleans."

Marcel felt that cold sweat again; his vampires had killed many of the Crescent Wolves and had run the rest out of town into the Bayou. What would Klaus do if he knew that bit of information?

Klaus continued, "She is also someone that I shared one drunken night with."

Elijah didn't like hearing that at all, and his displeasure showed on his face. Hayley took note of his reaction, it made her quite happy. She volunteered, "I was quite drunk too."

Niklaus ignored her statement and continued. "And as a result of that night, Hayley is now pregnant with my child."

They were all stunned and only Marcel was able to speak. "How is that possible," he inquired. "Vampires can't have children."

"You are correct," Klaus answered. "But werewolves can. And as you all know I am a Hybrid, both vampire and werewolf."

"Can this be true?" Elijah whispered, wondering out loud if such a miracle had indeed occurred.

"Listen, brother," Klaus said. Elijah closed his eyes and concentrated. He could clearly hear Hayley's heart which was pounding quite loudly. And then, he could make out a second, fainter heartbeat.

He opened his eyes which glistened with tears. "It _is_ true, you are pregnant," he said to Hayley. She nodded her head, "Yes and just so there's no doubt, it's definitely Klaus' baby."

"Which means Our Sire," Klaus continued, "there will soon be a new Mikelson on this earth, the first new Mikelson in over 1,000 years. What do you think of that?"

Elijah was astonished and replied in a quivering voice, "I think it's incredible." He was having trouble controlling his emotions, especially since he was experiencing one he hadn't felt since the fateful night he was cursed: hope.


	8. Hopes and Complications

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 8: Hopes and Complications**

 _The Journal of Elijah Mikelson:_

 _I knew moving to New Orleans would be a challenging transition mostly due to the existing vampire colony. Teaching animals to behave in a civilized manner is never easy. But I never anticipated the personal complications; the news of a Mikelson baby has certainly shaken me to my core. It's joyous news for sure, but it's also turned reality on its head. Now, there's a future to look forward to; a real reason for everything I've been doing for the last millennium. Establishing a structured, safe society for the child to join when it's born is more crucial than ever._

 _But if I'm honest, and I can be with you journal, there is another reason for my current anxiety. I have had many lovers over the centuries and each has been special to me in their own way. I have never cared much for meaningless sexual encounters, although truthfully I have had my share of those as well. The last paramour I truly loved was a French beauty named Celeste. We had an intense romance but it was not without its difficulties. The constant compulsion I employed to make her forget I was a vampire took its toll on her mental state. She became paranoid and convinced herself that I was trying to drive her insane. She finally succumbed to the torment and took her own life. That was over 200 years ago and I have not had feelings like that for any female since, until possibly now._

 _Hayley is carrying my brother's child, but it is clear there is no love or even friendship between them. Even so, I will not pursue her without first discussing it with him. And perhaps she feels nothing for me and my attention would be unwelcome. But I did sense something quite strong on her part as well, didn't I?  
_

* * *

 **The Mikelson Compound  
Elijah's Study, The Following Morning**

"…and be certain to communicate the rules to all your night walkers, Marcel. See Trevor for copies of them and distribute them as you deem necessary."

Elijah continued a long dissertation of what Marcel must do next. Marcel listened intently and nodded his head without interrupting. "And you," Elijah looked at his brother, "you keep an eye on all the vampires and make sure they're falling in line."

"And if they're not?" Klaus asked _,_ already knowing the answer.

"Punish them as you see fit," Elijah said, eliciting a broad smile from his sibling. "Excellent!" was Klaus' happy retort.

"You don't have to enjoy the prospect so much," Marcel commented. Elijah raised his eyebrows at the impertinence but didn't say anything. Niklaus could handle his relationship with Marcel himself.

Klaus wasn't offended by Marcel's statement; he didn't much care what anyone said. But he cared very much about their actions. "If you don't mind brother," he looked at Elijah for approval to continue and Elijah gave it with a nod of his head. "One thing you must make very sure of, Marcel," he told his progeny, "isthat your vampires understand Hayley is a member of this family now. She is under our protection and must be treated with respect. If anyone so much as looks at her wrongly they will answer to me."

"And to me," Elijah added. Klaus smiled at him, thankful for the support.

Marcel then asked them both, "Is there anything else?"

"Yes. Besides Hayley being off limits, there are to be no further actions taken against any of the werewolves, or the witches for that matter, without my orders. From what I hear you've done enough damage on those fronts." Elijah stated. Marcel didn't much like his last comment, or the order, but he kept his silence. Elijah's display of power with Diego was not lost on Marcel. And Marcel also knew what Klaus was capable of. "You are dismissed," Elijah told him. Marcel bowed his head and then left the room.

Elijah waited for the door to close and then commented to Klaus, "Trevor told me the night walkers were quite the bunch of rabble. It might be difficult for Marcel to control them."

Klaus shrugged. "Not to worry, brother. If he can't, I will, or I'll just kill them all."

Elijah smiled. "This is much easier with you here, brother."

Klaus asked, "Even though I brought along quite the responsibility?"

Elijah shook his head. "She's not a responsibility, she's our future and I'm grateful you've brought her. And actually, I wanted to speak with you about Hayley…"

* * *

Rebekah visited Hayley in one of the extra bedrooms where she'd spent the night. "I wish Nik had given us more notice you were coming with him, I would have done this room up for you."

Hayley looked around. "The room is fine thanks."

"Sleep OK?" Rebekah asked. "Yes fine," Hayley replied.

Rebekah sat on the bed and faced Hayley who was sitting up but still under the covers. "So, what's the story with you and my brother anyway? Was it really just one drunken roll in the sheets? Not that I'm condemning you for that. Lord knows I've bloody well had my share!"

"That's all it was," Hayley told her. "We can hardly stand each other actually. Your brother is…"

"A pain in the arse," Rebekah finished the sentence for her and then they both laughed. "Of course," Rebekah continued, "my other brother, Our King, is anything but a pain." She kept her eyes locked with Hayley's, trying to gauge her reaction and saw them soften.

"Elijah seems quite different than Klaus," Hayley commented, her voice softer too.

"They're like night and day," Rebekah elaborated. "Nik is selfish, Elijah is self-sacrificing. Nik is impulsive, Elijah is measured. Nik is often violent, Elijah tries to restrain himself."

Hayley interjected, "So what was that we walked in on yesterday?"

"I said he _tries_ to restrain himself; he isn't always successful at it."

* * *

Later that day, Hayley sought out Elijah's manservant. "Yes Madam, how may I assist you?" he politely inquired.

"Well first you can just call me 'Hayley," she replied. "You don't need to be so formal with me."

"As you wish," Trevor answered out loud, but inwardly noted to check with the Lord Niklaus as to the proper way to address the mother of his child.

"And second," Hayley continued, "do you have a calendar I can look at?"

"Certainly," Trevor replied leading her into Elijah's study; The Originals were all away from the compound. "Are you looking backwards or forwards?" he asked, not wanting to show her what was written on the previous weeks of his Sire's datebook.

"I'm just interested in the next few days," Hayley told him. He opened the book to the current week. She glanced at it and took note of the full moon arriving in two nights. Then, she noticed a few notations in the section from the previous day: "Move into family home; Address vampires; N arrived; Met H."

Trevor saw the same entry and studied Hayley's face. She seemed quite pleased Elijah had made a point of marking the date they'd met. She stared at it for a moment and then thanked Trevor for his help. He closed the datebook and then left the study with her. As she walked away, he thought about how long it had been since his Sire had a female companion that was more than a quick sexual encounter. Seeing Elijah happy was something Trevor often wished for.

Back in her room Hayley made plans. "If the full moon is tomorrow night," she told herself, "I must find my pack tonight." Since it appeared none of the Original Vampires were around, it was a good time to leave the compound and start the search. She gathered some supplies and left her room. After another quick conversation with Trevor to obtain the keys to any available car… "I'm going to search for my family"…she headed out.

* * *

"Let's round up the night walkers tonight and go," Thierry told Diego. They were in Thierry's car discussing plans to raid the Bayou where the Crescent Wolves, or what was left of them, currently lived.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea," Diego replied.

Thierry griped, "After what he did to you? We have no power here anymore, but we still rule over the wolves, and I'm gonna damn well let them know it!"


	9. Bayou Bound

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 9: Bayou Bound**

 **The French Quarter, That Night**

Marcel tried to assemble all his vampires, day walkers and night walkers, in a warehouse near the Quarter. He wanted to speak to them about the new order of things, and the Vampire Rules, but do it a safe distance from the Mikelsons' excellent hearing. He knew his crew would have plenty to complain about. But the more he searched for them the more he realized several of them were nowhere to be found.

"Where are Thierry, Diego, their night walkers?" he asked the other day walkers who stood before him.

"They went on a raid," someone told him.

Marcel put his hand to his forehead. "You have got to be kidding me; Witches?"

"No Wolves."

"What about wolves?" Niklaus asked, showing up uninvited to the gathering. Elijah had instructed him to make sure the vampires all fell in line, and he was there to do just that.

Marcel's heart pounded; this was the last thing he needed. He took a deep breath and explained, "Apparently some of my guys went to harass the Bayou Wolves."

Niklaus stared at him with a look that could only be interpreted as murderous rage. "Did you not hear Our Sire, just this morning, forbid such actions?"

"Yes of course I did Klaus," Marcel nervously replied. "But I hadn't yet passed that on to my guys. I was waiting for tonight so I could speak to all of them at once."

Klaus looked at one of the other day walkers. "Go to the compound and tell Our King that I've gone to the Bayou with Marcel to slaughter some insolent vampires."

* * *

"Anything of note happen here?" Elijah asked Trevor as he and Rebekah returned home.

"All quiet Sire. Oh, Miss Marshall took one of the cars and went out." Elijah nodded his head assuming Hayley had gone to do errands. Trevor then added, "She went to visit family."

Now Elijah was concerned. "Family? She doesn't know her family here. Did she say 'visit' or 'find' Trevor?"

Trevor scoured his memory for the exact term she used. "I believe she said 'search,' Sire."

Elijah glared at him, incensed. "And you let her go alone, to the Bayou, to search for a pack of wolves?"

A shudder spread across Trevor's body. "Sire, forgive me. I didn't think to question…"

They were interrupted by one of Marcel's vampires who quickly approached. "Sire, Klaus, I mean the Lord Niklaus, asked me to tell you he's gone to the Bayou."

Elijah felt a strong sense of dread overtake him and asked, "Why has he gone to the Bayou?"

The messenger explained and Elijah nearly took his head off, literally. Rebekah tried to keep him calm. "Nik will find her, Elijah."

"I will find her," Elijah stated. "You stay here. And you," he glared at Trevor, "I'll deal with you later.

* * *

After getting directions from the day walker, Elijah sped out of town in his car, speed-dialing Klaus' phone as he got on the highway. "We're almost there," Klaus said as he picked up the call.

"Hayley went to find her family. If anything happens to her...I want Marcel alive," Elijah instructed, his voice straining with anxiety.

Marcel heard his King through the phone and started sweating again. "He's with me," Klaus informed Elijah. "He didn't know anything about this. Apparently two of his day walkers went rogue."

"Well I want _them_ alive," Elijah growled.

"They've got night walkers with them," Klaus told him.

"I want that rabble all dead," Elijah commanded. "But save some for me to rip apart."

"Marcel thinks he knows where the remaining Crescent Wolves have been living. I'll find the position with this new-fangled phone and text you the coordinates," Klaus added before hanging up.

* * *

 **The Bayou, Outside New Orleans**

Hayley carefully approached a seemingly abandoned cabin. Her wolf-senses told her there were definitely members of her pack nearby. The door opened and a young man walked out. She walked up to him saying, "Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself; I'm…"

"Andrea Labonair, now known as Hayley Marshall," the man finished her sentence for her. "I heard you were looking for your pack, well, you've found it."

Hayley studied his face. "Do you know me? Have we met?"

"Probably when we were babies, but I've heard about you my whole life. I'm Jackson Kenner, and believe it or not, I'm supposed to be your husband."

* * *

Back at the compound, Rebekah and Trevor dealt with the tenuous situation silently, even though they were both pacing around the courtyard. Rebekah was praying Hayley and Marcel would come back alive, that the baby would be all right, and that Elijah wouldn't go totally off the rails.

Trevor was trying not to panic and was hoping for many of the same things, mostly that Hayley and her child would be found, unharmed. If that didn't happen, he greatly feared his King would take deadly retribution against all involved, including himself.


	10. The Red Door Opens

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 10: The Red Door Opens**

"My husband?" Hayley inquired out loud. This guy is nuts, she silently thought.

Jackson laughed. "Yeah it sounds crazy, I know. But when we were born apparently our families betrothed us to each other. We are each members of the two royal families within the Crescent Wolf Pack. My parents, and yours, the Labonairs, agreed that we would eventually marry to make our pack stronger. But your family also wanted peace with the vampires, which my grandfather couldn't abide. He…he killed your parents; I'm sorry about that."

Hayley digested that revelation and then asked, "And that's why I was adopted?"

"Yes. What happened when your adoptive parents realized you were a werewolf?"

Hayley got sad and angry thinking about it. "They kicked me out on my own."

"I'm so sorry Hayley. I wish things had been different."

Hayley shrugged. "Yeah me too. So, where is the rest of the pack?"

"There are only ten of us left. The others are out enjoying their last night of freedom for the month; tomorrow is the full moon."

"I know, that's why I came tonight," Hayley told him. Then she heard a strange sound. "Did you hear that?"

Jackson listened, heard the same sound again, and got very concerned. "Yeah, and it sounded like a scream."

* * *

Making his way through the woods on foot, heading to the coordinates sent to him by Klaus, Elijah found his brother and Marcel already engaged in killing night walkers. Klaus flipped one of the still-kicking vampires to the king who bit its neck, drank his fill, and then promptly tore its heart out spraying blood everywhere. Surveying the few dead bodies on the ground Elijah then asked, "Where is she?"

"There's a cabin that way," Marcel said pointing through the trees.

"The rest of the night walkers have fled, and the day walkers are nowhere to be found," Klaus informed Elijah.

"You go and find them," Elijah ordered Marcel, "and I mean _all_ of them. Don't show your face again until you've rounded them all up."

Marcel nodded his head and then hurried off, knowing there was nothing he could say at this point, to either his sire or his Sire, to help his or his friends' causes.

Elijah and Klaus sped through the Bayou in the direction of the cabin. "I hear movement ahead of us," Klaus commented.

* * *

Before Hayley or Jackson could venture into the woods to investigate the screams, four werewolves came running from the trees. They yelled as they came, "Vampires!" They reached Jackson and breathlessly informed him they were being pursued. "Get inside," he told them; "You too," he advised Hayley.

"No," Hayley replied. She knew the smart thing would be to go inside and protect her baby, but she also thought the vampires would probably recognize her and stop their assault.

There wasn't time for Jackson to argue with her, the predators were upon them. He moved in front of Hayley, shielding her with his body. One night walker grabbed him and another reached for her. A third, fourth, and fifth went into the cabin.

Certain death was replaced with liberation as someone grabbed both vampires and pulled them off. Hayley tried to make out what was occurring, but it was happening too quickly and her vision was hampered by the large amount of blood flying through the air. "Are you alright?" a very anxious Klaus asked her. Finally, recognizing their saviors as the Mikelson brothers, Hayley gasped, "Yes, but there are more inside!"

Elijah entered the cabin in a flash and easily subdued the remaining night walkers by breaking each of their necks. He looked at the state of the werewolves on the cabin floor; they were bleeding but seemed as if they'd recover. He was soon joined by the others from outside. Jackson hurried to aide his pack. "If they need blood to heal, mine is the most powerful," Elijah declared to him.

Jackson looked up. "Thank you, but why are you helping us against your own kind?"

Elijah was seeing red before his eyes and fighting to keep his composure. "They're not _my_ kind," he growled. He then looked at Hayley, "Are you sure you're all right; the baby?"

Hayley assured him, "We're both fine, they had barely touched me when you arrived. Thanks for that."

One of the nightwalkers on the floor started to stir. "What shall we do with this lot?" Klaus asked, already knowing the answer.

"Let's take them outside," Elijah said. He wanted to inflict pain on their prisoners, a lot of pain. Klaus started dragging two towards the door and Elijah took a hold of the third. Before he left he told Hayley, "Wait here for us."

She replied that she would. She wanted to explain things to Jackson who was looking at her with quite a bit of confusion in his eyes. "You know them?" he asked once all the vampires had left the cabin.

Hayley put one hand over her swollen womb. "There's a lot I need to tell you," she began.

* * *

Once they had awoken, Klaus had compelled two of the vampires to stand still while Elijah did so with the third. The night walker could do nothing but endure the coming assault. Elijah grabbed one of his arms, tore it off, and tossed it aside. The vampire's screams shattered the evening air. Elijah then did the same to the other arm, and the screams got louder. Next, he punched through the gut, grabbed whatever he could find, and pulled it out. Before the vampire passed out and hit the ground, Elijah broke through his chest and ripped out his heart.

The king was covered in blood and enraged past the point of return. Klaus knew the thing they had guarded against for over 1,000 years had just happened: the red door was open.

Elijah looked at the remaining two vampires, both of whom were shaking so badly they almost collapsed despite the compulsion, and simply asked, "Who wants to go next?"


	11. Truth and Consequences

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 11: Truth and Consequences**

It was almost dawn when Elijah, Niklaus, and Hayley finally returned to the family compound. Hayley had given Jackson the CliffsNotes version of how she became entangled with the Original Vampires: mainly that she was carrying the Hybrid's child. Jackson didn't like much of what he heard, but he would have liked what she withheld even less. Hayley didn't tell him that while the father of her child meant nothing to her, his brother did. And after the way Elijah helped save her and the other wolves, she admired him even more. But she also knew what she felt for him was not simply admiration.

While the two Originals had been dispensing with the three night walkers, Jackson frantically called the cell phones of the other pack members. It was hard to hear over the wails of pain from outside, but he managed to track everyone down and was satisfied no one had been killed in the vampire attack. Knowing that information, Hayley felt comfortable leaving.

Back in the Quarter, they entered the courtyard and found Rebekah and Trevor still waiting for them. Trevor almost fainted with relief at the sight of Hayley. Rebekah was thrilled too, but Marcel's absence gravely concerned her as did the state of her brother Elijah.

The vampire king had many well-known characteristics: He was fair-minded and noble; he was principled with a strong sense of right and wrong; he loved his family deeply; he carried himself with a regal air; and he was always impeccably dressed and clean. He had a habit of wiping his hands off on the handkerchief he always carried in his suit's breast pocket; he couldn't tolerate a speck of dirt or blood on him. But the creature now standing before Rebekah barely resembled her brother. His mouth and chin were caked with dried blood. His suit jacket, shirt, and tie were covered in it as well. His pants were dirty from running through the woods and his shoes were encrusted with mud.

The sight was shocking to Trevor as well, but despite knowing about Elijah's red door he didn't fully grasp what had happened. Rebekah looked at Niklaus with her eyes silently asking the obvious question: is the door open? Klaus nodded his head, the look on his face also confirming her worst fears. She whispered to Trevor, "Help me with him," and then said more loudly to Elijah, "My Sire, perhaps you'd like to come have a drink?"

Elijah thought that sounded good, his head was swimming. He walked towards her without speaking, looking dazed to all assembled there. Niklaus watched as his sister and Trevor guided Elijah up the stairs and into the family apartment. Then he whipped out his cell phone and called Marcel. "We're back in the Quarter. Where are you, and how many have you rounded up?" He listened to Marcel's reply and then hung up the phone. Hayley had been watching Elijah retreat upstairs, and was still looking in that direction wondering what she should do next.

"Hayley," Klaus got her attention. "I'm going to join Marcel. He's got some of the day walkers, including Diego, but not Thierry and not the rest of those animals. He needs some Original compulsion to get information out of them."

"What should I do?" Hayley asked.

"Get some rest, you've had a very long night," Klaus replied. "And I am very glad you're all right, Little Wolf," he added with a smile.

* * *

Trevor poured his king a double scotch, which Elijah downed in a single gulp. "Elijah, perhaps you would be more comfortable if you changed your clothes," Rebekah carefully offered. "You have a lot of mud on you." She deliberately avoided mentioning the blood, which was the predominant substance ruining his suit. Elijah looked down at himself and replied in an emotionless voice, "Yes, I do seem to have made quite a mess of myself. Trevor, you'll need to have this suit dry cleaned, I would think."

Trevor nodded his head, "Yes Sire, probably so. If I could make another suggestion, Sire…"

Rebekah's eyes got wide, warning him to tread carefully.

"Yes, what," Elijah answered.

"A hot shower might help get the mud out of your hair," Trevor suggested while trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"A hot shower sounds like an excellent idea," Elijah stated, his voice maintaining the same monotone level. Trevor hurried off to get the bathroom ready and to set out new clothes. Rebekah smiled at her brother, happy that he seemed so calm. Elijah looked at her, "Marcel is alive, for now."

Rebekah's smile vanished. She wanted to tell Elijah that Marcel wouldn't have gone against his orders, to beg and plead for her lover's life, but she knew this was not the time for it. She'd have to be patient and hope that after he cleaned up, Elijah would return in at least some fashion, to his old self, to the fair and just ruler he'd always been.

* * *

Klaus joined Marcel and the other vampires at Marcel's warehouse. "I know where the night walkers all are, but for obvious reasons I can't call them to come here until tonight," Marcel informed him. Klaus wasn't concerned, "They'll die tonight so there's no rush."

"They weren't all involved!" Diego protested. Klaus walked over to him and put his face barely an inch away from the young vampire. "You will shut up until I ask you questions. And then you will answer my questions with total honesty. Nod your head if you understand!" He screamed the last compelled instruction to ensure the mind control had taken effect.

Diego nodded his head but couldn't control his mouth from forming a small smirk. He had located and taken Vervain the night before, as had Thierry. They had tried to call off the raid when they saw Hayley Marshall arriving at the Bayou cabin. But they were unable to get the word to all the night walkers in time. The two vampires fled back to the Quarter, as did two of their night walkers, and tracked down a drug-dealer they knew. Luckily, he had some Vervain to sell them. Diego and Thierry coordinated their story; the night walkers had planned the attack on their own and went to the Bayou without their knowledge. It was a long shot, but perhaps it would prevent their executions. They then went their separate ways to make it harder for The Originals to track them both down.

But unluckily for Diego, Klaus had vast experience with, and knowledge of, compulsion and its effects on vampires. He knew instantly that Diego was on Vervain. He looked at Marcel and said, "We won't get the truth out of this one until I drain him." Diego's eyes got wide and he pleaded with Marcel for help. "Please, don't let him…"

Marcel closed his eyes and shook his head, "I can't help you my man. I don't think I can help any of us now."

In a flash, Klaus had Diego hanging upside down, chained to the high ceiling of the warehouse. Then he located a box cutter and slit Diego's entire chest open. Blood started pouring out and Klaus told Marcel with a smile, "This shouldn't take too long."


	12. Close the Door

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 12: "Close the Door"**

Elijah spent the entire day resting in his bedroom and pacing in his study. Trevor had suggested a massage, and Elijah let his servant give him a rub down. But that didn't quell the murderous rage still churning inside him. He was having trouble thinking straight, and really just wanted to rip someone apart. But he needed to wait until Niklaus and Marcel returned with all the vampires. Rebekah attempted to speak with him about Marcel but Elijah told her to hold her tongue. "You're defending him but you don't even know what he's done," he said. Neither do you, Rebekah thought, though she knew it would be foolhardy to utter those words out loud.

Hayley wanted to speak with Elijah but Rebekah warned her off. "He's unpredictable right now. What happened last night changed him; I can't really explain it to you." Hayley was confused but didn't push the issue further. She was also greatly concerned about Elijah.

* * *

Once it was dark, the courtyard filled with vampires. Niklaus had put the order out through Marcel that everyone was commanded to attend. Marcel, Diego, Thierry, and two night walkers stood at attention in the center of the compound. They didn't need to be compelled to do so; Klaus had told them he would speak to their King on their behalves if they stayed put.

After draining Diego of Vervain, and compelling him to speak the truth, Klaus had heard the whole story of the previous night's events. It was Thierry's idea to attack the Bayou Wolves and he recruited Diego and several of their night walkers for the excursion. But as the group spread out in the woods near the werewolf cabin, Diego spotted Hayley approaching the structure. He immediately motioned to everyone to retreat, but several of the night walkers had moved too far away already and didn't see the signal. Diego, Thierry, and two night walkers hurried back to the cars which had been parked in a secluded area. They waited a few moments for the others, but then heard the initial skirmish and knew it was too late for their friends. They then fled back to the Quarter where the two day walkers contrived a cover story and located Vervain. The two night walkers went to hide from the sunlight, assuming their superiors would sort the mess out for them.

Niklaus knocked on the door to Elijah's study and Trevor opened it. "Take care with him, My Lord," Trevor whispered. "I heard that," Elijah stated in a dull voice. He'd been sitting in a wingchair nursing a glass of scotch. Trevor quickly left the room. He considered himself fortunate that his king had been so preoccupied with punishing the vampires involved in the raid he hadn't yet turned his rage on his servant. But Trevor had no doubt his own punishment was coming soon.

"Everyone is assembled," Niklaus told his brother while crossing the room. Elijah stood and faced him. "Good, I want everyone to see what happens when they disobey me."

Niklaus took a deep breath and then let it out before speaking. "Sire, brother, I found out exactly what happened last night, and I don't believe they did disobey you."

Elijah gave him an incredulous stare. "You can't be serious."

"Please just hear me out," Klaus requested.

Elijah didn't much care to hear anything further on the matter, he just wanted to kill. But he gave his brother a few moments to state his case. "Go ahead."

"Well first, Thierry and Diego did use Vervain last night, so yes they did break a rule."

"So why are you wasting my time Niklaus?" Elijah was exasperated and getting even more angry.

"Because that was the only thing they did wrong," Klaus explained. "Marcel hadn't yet conveyed the order to cease the attacks on the werewolves and witches. He was trying to assemble all the day walkers and night walkers to do so but then realized some were missing. And he had, prior to your arrival, given his crew standing orders to conduct raids whenever they saw fit. So technically they were still following his orders."

Elijah shook his head. "The mother of your child, and your child, were almost killed last night. Why don't you want to destroy everyone involved? I certainly do."

"I understand why you feel that way," Klaus said, "but I'm asking you to be the fair and just ruler you have always been. You must punish within the Vampire Rules you established centuries ago."

"I _must_? Care to rethink your choice of words, Niklaus?" Elijah was incensed but also knew his brother was right. But he wanted to kill them all so badly, how could he stop himself?

"Forgive me Sire, you _should_ punish within the rules. I know you _can_ do whatever you like."

"Go back out there," Elijah ordered. "I will be out soon with my judgement."

* * *

Niklaus rejoined everyone else in the courtyard. Rebekah hurried to his side while Marcel and the others watched trying to assess where things now stood. "What did he say?" Rebekah anxiously asked. "I think I made an impact," Klaus offered, "but I can't be sure. He was certainly prepared to kill them all when I went in there. I don't know if he's changed his mind."

Marcel felt like throwing up. It was one thing to lose his own life, but to watch his friends being slaughtered was quite another. And he had no doubt he would be made to watch and then be the last one killed. Rebekah was trying not to panic. She still had hopes that her brother would do the right thing, but now that the red door was open…

"Let me try to get through to him," Hayley offered.

"That's not a good idea, Little Wolf," Klaus replied. "He's very volatile."

"He would never hurt me," Hayley confidently stated.

"You have good reason to feel that way," Klaus admitted. "We had a conversation about you the day after we arrived. He already had strong feelings for you and wanted my permission to pursue you. That's the only time he's ever asked for my permission," Klaus joked. Then he got serious again. "But even that might not protect you from his anger."

"I'm not afraid," Hayley said, although not totally convinced of it. She turned and headed up the stairs towards the family apartment.

* * *

"Elijah?" Hayley entered the study carefully.

He was surprised to see her there and rose to greet her. "Hayley, is everything alright?"

"Yes, fine. I just…I just wanted to talk to you, if that's OK."

"Of course, you can always talk to me," he replied.

"I just wanted to say that I think enough vampires have been punished for last night. I would like to ask you to not kill anyone else on my behalf." Hayley was nervous but her voice was steady.

"You almost died," Elijah whispered. The emotion in his voice clearly conveyed how much she already meant to him.

Hayley reached her hand out to touch his arm. "I know. But from what Klaus tells me, they never intended to hurt me or disobey you. As a favor to me, can we just close the door on this whole thing?"

Hayley searched Elijah's eyes for a sign she was getting through to him. But instead, she saw his gaze move away from her to a point in the room somewhere over her shoulder. She turned her head to see what he was looking at but saw nothing there. She turned back, "Elijah?"

Elijah no longer heard her voice, but instead heard that of his mother and relived a moment from the ancient past…

 _1,000 A.D._

 _Elijah sped behind Mikael and plunged the white oak stake through his father's back into his heart before he could react. Mikael burst into flames, and Esther managed to escape her husband's loosening grasp. Soon, there was nothing left of the family patriarch, or the white oak stake, but a pile of ash. Esther suffered some burns but easily repaired her skin with magic. Elijah fell to his knees; the horror of the event overwhelming him. His mother went to his side, knelt, and whispered into his ear. "Picture a clearing in a field. In that field there stands a threshold with a red door. Put this anger, grief, and regret behind that red door. Put all your anger, grief, and regret behind that red door. In the future, when you face horror or tragedy, put all your anger, grief, and regret behind that red door. Then close the door my son, close the door."_


	13. The King's Judgement

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 13: The King's Judgement**

"Close the door," Elijah murmured still staring off into the room. "Close the door."

"Elijah!" Hayley exclaimed, alarmed she was unable to regain his attention. A moment later his eyes did move back to look into hers. "No need to yell, I'm right here."

"Are you OK? You were far away somewhere," Hayley anxiously asked him.

He looked puzzled. "Was I? I was just thinking about presenting my judgement."

"And that judgement is?" Hayley looked hopefully for details. His demeanor seemed to have changed from just moments earlier. He seemed just like himself again.

Elijah smiled at her but gave her no indication of what he had decided. "Let's go," he said, taking her by the arm and leading her to the door.

* * *

"All Hail Our Sire," Trevor's voice rang out as Elijah left the study and descended the stairs with Hayley following behind him. Rebekah looked at both of them for something to give her hope. She wasn't encouraged when Hayley looked back at her and shrugged.

"Good evening to you all," Elijah began as he stood in front of the five accused vampires and the assembled crowd. "As you no doubt know there was a raid last night in which several of your fellow night walkers were killed for putting the life of Miss Marshall and her baby, and Lord Niklaus' baby, in danger." He looked at his brother, "Niklaus kindly relate for everyone what I did to the vampires I killed last night at the cabin."

Klaus wasn't sure why Elijah made the request but fulfilled it nonetheless. "Well you ripped them apart piece by piece, limbs, innards, etc. It was quite gruesome, actually." Elijah assessed the reaction of the assembled group looking at everyone but Hayley. He didn't want to see disapproval on her face. On the faces of everyone else he saw fear, which was the desired effect.

"Indeed I did," Elijah stated in a calm voice. His eyes continued to survey all the vampires. "I've had this told to you to drive home a message; if you disobey me, if you break the rules, you _will_ be punished. And if your crime is egregious enough you will be dealt with in the cruelest possible way. Am I understood?"

Everyone replied "Yes Sire" with varying degrees of intensity in their voices. Hayley, having seen the state of the night walkers' bodies when she left the cabin the previous night, wasn't overly disturbed by what she had heard. She also knew Elijah was making a point with the vampires.

"Now as to the judgement of these five," Elijah walked in front of the accused looking at each of their faces. The two night walkers were too afraid to look at him and kept their heads bowed. Diego, Thierry, and Marcel tried to keep their heads up and be brave, but they all had tears in their eyes assuming their end was at hand.

After he traversed by them all, Elijah walked back to his original position facing them from a few feet away. "Nightwalkers look at me," he addressed them first. They raised their heads and looked at their king with terror in their eyes. "You were following the orders of your superiors and will not face punishment. You may join the others behind you." The two vampires took several moments to react; they were too stunned to move. But then they finally did and stepped back into the assembled onlookers.

"Marcel," Elijah next addressed his sister's love interest. "You were in the process of assembling all your vampires to inform them of my rules and directives. You will not face punishment. But be certain you inform every one of the rules and my directives tonight."

Rebekah almost passed out with relief. She wanted to run into Marcel's arms but restrained herself. Marcel was of course relieved as well, but was still concerned about his day walkers, whom Elijah had saved for last. "As for you two, it is true you were also following orders in that Marcel's existing edicts allowed for raids on the werewolves. Therefore you will not be punished for the raid." Thierry was shocked and Diego's face broke into a wide smile. But that smile quickly vanished as their king added, "However, it is also true that you used Vervain to avoid telling the truth to the Lord Niklaus and to myself. You have violated the fourth and fifth Vampire Rules, rules you were very much aware of, and will therefore be punished accordingly."

A murmur ran through the crowd. Were they about to see their Sire rip someone else to shreds? Diego and Thierry braced themselves for what was to come while Marcel could do nothing but watch the coming assault. "Lord Niklaus," Elijah continued, "kindly tell everyone about the special way you dole out punishment."

Klaus couldn't help but smile, he liked nothing more than boasting about his unique Hybrid talents. "As you all know I am a Hybrid, meaning I am both Vampire and Werewolf. In fact, I am the one and only Hybrid. And you might also know the bite of a werewolf can kill a vampire. But it takes several days to become fatal and until that point it also causes a great deal of suffering: Fever, hallucinations, incredible pain. And there is only one respite from that pain…"

Elijah cut him off and pronounced judgement on Diego and Thierry. "Lord Niklaus will administer a bite to each of you. He will monitor your condition over the next several days and only once you are approaching death will he heal you with his blood. The blood of the Hybrid is the _only_ cure for a werewolf bite. But make no mistake you will suffer greatly until he does cure you. This is your punishment by my declaration." He looked at his brother,"Niklaus carry out my decree and then dismiss everyone."

Klaus bowed and raised his head and then watched as Elijah left the courtyard and went back upstairs. Trevor followed him, Hayley watched him go, and Rebekah ran to Marcel's side and embraced him. They stood there together while Klaus carried out Elijah's instructions. "Stay brave," Marcel told his guys. They did their best as Klaus' eyes turned yellow and he bared his fangs.


	14. Back to Normal

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 14: Back to Normal**

After pronouncing the punishments, Elijah returned to his study with Trevor following close behind. Trevor knew he was expected to bring up his own situation. There was no question of Elijah forgetting the matter, he never forgot any transgressions. Elijah turned and faced Trevor who had just closed the study door. Trevor walked to his Sire, got on his knees, and lowered his head. "I am ready for my punishment, Sire. Should…should I retrieve the whip?" The whip had long since been packed away, but Trevor knew in which box it resided.

Elijah folded his arms and looked down at his servant. "Ah yes, the whip; I remember the last time I used it. Ironically, it was in a similar situation."

Trevor nodded his head still looking at the floor. "I had done something that put your family in danger, and then lied about it."

"As you did last night, although you didn't lie," Elijah stated. Then he added, "However, I did not tell you to monitor or restrict Hayley's movements therefore no punishment is warranted."

Trevor finally looked up at his King and exclaimed, "Sire, your generosity knows no bounds!"

Elijah indicated for him to rise and then put his hand on Trevor's shoulder. He looked him squarely in the eyes and with a deadly serious voice gave him notice. "Oh there are bounds, Trevor. I am telling you now if you ever let Hayley put herself in danger again, I will turn you inside out. Do you understand me?"

Trevor swallowed hard and replied in a trembling voice, "Yes My Sire, I understand."

* * *

Before dismissing the vampires, Marcel made sure everyone understood there were to be no more raids on witches or werewolves, and that all members of the Mikelson family, including Hayley, were to be respected and protected. He also handed out copies of the Vampire Rules and told everyone they would hold a discussion at the warehouse the following night. Rebekah, Marcel, Niklaus, and Hayley then stayed behind in the courtyard to commiserate. Rebekah commented first. "He seems back to normal."

"What do you mean, 'normal'?" Marcel inquired. Hayley piped up as well. "Yeah, what was going on with him anyway? He was acting so strangely when I went to talk to him, and then all of sudden he was fine."

Rebekah and Klaus looked at each other and then Rebekah turned her head back to Hayley. "Tell us everything that happened, every word, it's very important."

Hayley related the events and the conversation. Niklaus raised his eyebrows. "'Close the door', are you certain that's what he said?"

Hayley nodded her head. "Yes I'm sure. What does it mean?" Klaus looked at Rebekah again and they silently agreed to tell the story. In a very quiet voice she told a slightly revised version of the true history.

"When our mother made Elijah a vampire, she also gave him a coping mechanism she called the 'red door'. She knew the burden of being the first vampire, and of eventually turning all his siblings, would be heavy. In his mind, he puts anything that is too horrible to deal with behind this door. He retains the memories but not the emotions they caused or still cause. Over the years we've come perilously close to the door opening, but thankfully it never happened. But last night, it did."

"How did you know?" Marcel asked.

"Neither of you have known Elijah long enough to know this, but he is fastidious about his appearance," Klaus answered. "Apparently, keeping himself clean from blood is also part of how he copes."

"But last night he was covered in blood," Hayley said.

"That's right, and he didn't care or try to wipe it off," Rebekah replied.

"In addition," Klaus added, "the brutality with which he dispatched the night walkers was unusual, more like my style." He smiled causing Rebekah to roll her eyes.

"Just wondering," Marcel asked nervously, "what's his usual way of 'dispatching' with someone?"

"Normally he'd just rip your heart out and then wipe off his hands," Klaus told him. That didn't make Marcel feel any more comfortable about their king.

"None of that matters," Rebekah interrupted, irritated with them. "Hayley may have discovered a way to bring him back if this ever happens again. 'Close the door' might be a safeguard mother put in without even knowing it."

Hayley agreed. "It almost seemed like he was remembering something."

"Remembering mother telling him to close the door perhaps?" Rebekah asked Klaus. "She did whisper something to him," he replied, remembering the night Elijah saved him by killing their father. "Maybe last night he thought he heard her telling him what to do."

"We must all agree, and I will inform Trevor as well," Rebekah stated, "if the need ever arises again we will try telling him to 'close the door', and pray that it works."

* * *

A door upstairs opened causing everyone to turn and look up. Trevor emerged and gazed down over the balcony. "Lord Niklaus, Marcel, Our Sire requires you come to his study." Marcel gave Rebekah a kiss causing Klaus to avert his eyes. "Am I now to be subject to endless public displays of affection?" he griped.

"I hope so," Marcel replied with a smile on his face. Rebekah smiled as well then told Hayley, "Come on, girl talk time." They all headed upstairs, with the two females heading towards Rebekah's bedroom, and the two males to the office.

Trevor let them in and closed the door after them. He, having been dismissed for the rest of the night, then headed to his own room. The stress of the evening, especially anticipating his own fate, had exhausted him.

"Sire, I want to thank you…" Marcel began.

Elijah looked at him from his seat behind the desk. "Did I address you Marcel?"

Marcel swallowed, "No Sire, I'm sorry."

Elijah looked at his brother. "Niklaus, I want to discuss the current state of relations between the vampires and the witches." Klaus nodded his head, "All right."

The King then did address Marcel. "Marcel, you may thank me for my mercy when we are finished. But first tell me, how would you characterize the current state of relations between the vampires and the witches?"


	15. Vampires and Witches

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 15: Vampires and Witches**

 _ **1,020 A.D.**_

" _She won't let me turn her," Elijah informed his siblings. Their mother Esther lay dying and they all had gathered around her bed. "It's my time," Esther told them in a strained voice. "And I can't be a witch and a vampire. That's part of the balance of the supernatural world. I wish to remain a witch in the afterlife."_

" _But I'm a vampire and werewolf," Niklaus reminded her. "You are an anomaly," Esther explained. "Maybe because you were turned into a vampire before your werewolf gene had been activated, you found a loophole."_

 _Niklaus remembered back to when he first turned into a wolf. It was over a year after Elijah had made him a vampire. After feeding all that time exclusively on his Sire's blood, Klaus was finally allowed to go out and feed on others. Elijah tried to teach him how to get his fill of blood without killing his victim, but it took Klaus some time to get the hang of it. When he took his first life, his werewolf gene kicked in and he turned into a wolf. It was only then that his mother explained about the affair she'd had many years earlier with a werewolf from the neighboring village. Her husband Mikael had killed the man and all his relations soon after he became a vampire. He never knew about his wife's infidelity; Esther knew he would have taken her life as well if he had known. But his hatred for Niklaus indicated he subconsciously suspected all along…_

* * *

Marcel chose his words carefully. It was evident Elijah had some knowledge of the current relationship between the vampires and the witches or he wouldn't be asking the question. "Well Sire, I'm content with it."

Elijah's eyes narrowed. "Obviously, since you have arranged things so that you have all the power."

Marcel knew he was on dangerous ground challenging his king, but he did so anyway. "Sire, I don't understand why we shouldn't hold power over them, isn't that better for us?"

"No Marcel it is not. I don't know if Niklaus ever told you but our mother was a witch."

Marcel swallowed and looked at Klaus who was staring at him with a hard to read expression on his face. "I think I remember that," Marcel reluctantly admitted.

"And our mother," Elijah continued, "taught us that there needs to be a balance in the supernatural world. In the supernatural world of New Orleans there is no balance at all. In addition to terrorizing the witches, I understand you've all but wiped out the Crescent Wolves."

Now Klaus' expression was very easy to read, he was angry. "You did what? So you've conveniently forgotten that my mother was a witch and that I'm a werewolf? Or were you so consumed with getting over on me you just didn't care?"

Marcel's facial reaction confirmed that the latter statement was true. He'd never admit it, but getting and maintaining power was all that had mattered to him over the years. Psychologically, he'd never fully recovered from the torments of slavery, not that anyone could. It was his life's mission to ensure no one could ever make him helpless again. Subjugating the witches and werewolves was part of achieving the goal he was only able to attempt when Klaus left New Orleans in his hands. But now he had to obey the Original Vampires, especially the king, and in reality he had no power any more.

"Clearly I've hit a nerve," Klaus commented to his brother.

"His reasons during your absence don't matter to me," Elijah scolded him. "If you had been here, as we had agreed, this wouldn't have happened. Instead you abandoned your responsibilities to run with the wolves in Virginia. And Rebekah and I had to uproot ourselves from Europe and come over here because vampires need rules and structure and you were providing neither."

"Well if I hadn't gone to Mystic Falls I wouldn't have met Hayley, and there'd be no baby," Klaus retorted with a smirk.

Elijah was not amused, not in the least. He spoke in a calm but menacing voice. "A few moments ago Trevor offered to locate my whip believing he was deserving of it. I told him there was no need, but apparently I was incorrect."

Klaus was sufficiently nervous. His brother rarely disciplined any of his siblings with violence, but it had happened in the past and he wasn't eager for it to happen again. "Forgive me Sire," he asked with his head bowed. "I apologize for my impertinence."

Satisfied with his brother's contrition, Elijah turned his attention back to Marcel. "You believe you have no need for the witches, correct?" Marcel nodded his head. "What about daylight rings? How do you create new ones?"

"I don't," Marcel replied. "The only time there's a new day walker is when an existing one is killed."

"So your night walkers have no real hope of being promoted? That hardly gives them motivation to improve themselves. And it makes the gulf between the classes insurmountable in their eyes. You cannot have an ordered society if members believe there are different rules for different status levels."

Marcel digested what he was being told but didn't respond. Elijah continued, "You will arrange a meeting here, in my name, tomorrow afternoon between us and the witch elders. At that meeting I will inform them there will be no further persecution of the witches, and I will ask them to work with us when it benefits both species."

Marcel didn't much like the edict but knew he had to carry it out. "Yes, Sire."

"Now," Elijah moved on, "about the werewolves…"

* * *

"I want to thank you for getting through to Elijah," Rebekah told Hayley once the two were comfortably sitting in her bedroom.

"Well I didn't exactly know that I would," Hayley admitted.

"But you were willing to try, that's what matters. That must have been terrifying."

"Not really. You heard what Klaus told me before I went in, right? How Elijah asked him for permission to 'pursue' me?"

Rebekah smiled. "That's right, I did hear that! I think I was so concerned about Elijah's state at the time I didn't think much about what he had said to Nik. He's crazy about you, that's obvious. In fact, I don't think the red door would have opened if it had been someone else in danger."

"That's not true," Hayley countered shaking her head. "He would have been just as angry if it were you."

"You're probably right about that," Rebekah admitted, "but not if it were anyone else. You mean a lot to him."

"The baby means a lot to him; maybe I do too." Hayley tried to talk herself out of believing Elijah felt as strongly as she did. She didn't want to set herself up for a fall.

"Bloody hell," Rebekah retorted, "there's no maybe about it! You need to let him know he's got the green light from you as well as Nik."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Hayley asked. "Am I supposed to just walk right up to him and kiss him?"

"That's exactly what you're supposed to do," Rebekah gleefully replied. "But, be sure you ask Our Sire's permission first!"


	16. Vampires and Wolves

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 16: Vampires and Wolves**

 **The Mikelson Compound  
Elijah's Study, The Next Morning**

Hayley knocked on the door to the study despite the fact it was already open. Elijah looked up from his desk. "Good morning, Hayley."

"Good morning yourself," Hayley replied walking in and taking a seat facing him. "You're always in here working," she commented. "May I ask what you're doing?"

"Mostly corresponding with my brothers in Europe," he told her.

"Ever hear of a phone?" Hayley quipped. Elijah was so old fashioned it both astonished her and impressed her.

Elijah smiled. "Of course. I even know how to text and email, believe it or not. But my signature is still required for official business, so I prefer slow mail."

"Snail mail," she told him. "It's called 'snail mail'."

"What an absurd name for it. In any case what can I do for you?"

Hayley bit her lip to stop herself from blurting out, "You can kiss me!" Instead she paused and then answered, "I'm going back out to the Bayou but figured I'd better let you know first."

Elijah put his pen down and folded his arms. "Are you mad? There's no way you're going back out there."

"Mad as in nuts? No, I'm not. Mad as in angry, yes I am!" she stated in a loud voice. Elijah raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He would wait until she calmed down.

"Sorry," she apologized instantly. "I know you're not used to people getting angry with you."

"People, I hardly interact with any. As for my vampires, I'm certain many of them get angry with me but they certainly don't show it. Now kindly explain why you're so upset?"

"I learned some things from Jackson about my history, about my pack, and I want to learn more. Apparently I'm the Crescent Wolf Alpha."

Elijah nodded his head. "That doesn't surprise me. You carry yourself with the aura of a royal."

Hayley blushed at his compliment and thought, "He's so sexy". Then she continued speaking. "I also want to check on how they made it through last night; it was a full moon."

"Ah yes. Niklaus did tell me you wear a moonlight ring," Elijah commented. "I'm glad our mother made two for him. She hoped he would find a mate at some point."

"Well I'm not his mate, but I am grateful that he gave it to me. But the rest of my pack has no such protection. I'm hoping we can do something about that."

Elijah thought it over. "I plan to have a meeting with the witches here today. I need to mend the rift Marcel caused with his oppression. If that goes well, I will eventually ask the witches for daylight rings. There's no reason I can't get moonlight rings made at some point for the wolves."

Hayley was very pleased to hear that. "Thank you, and I'm sure Jackson would want to thank you as well."

"Jackson is the one I offered my blood to, correct?" Elijah asked.

"That's right and he's a pack alpha too. Apparently, don't laugh, our parents agreed we'd marry," Hayley informed him, still thinking it was a ridiculous idea.

Elijah wasn't entertained. "You're betrothed?"

Hayley scoffed. "Of course not! I said our parents came to some agreement that doesn't mean I'm going to marry the guy. This isn't 1800 or something."

Elijah knew the concept of arranged marriage was foreign to modern Americans, even to most modern Europeans. But different rules applied to rulers, to royalty. And if Hayley and Jackson were both werewolf royalty an engagement between them, agreed to by their parents, was no joking matter at all in Elijah's mind.

He also knew he'd better make his feelings clear or Hayley might think he didn't care what she did. He stood up and walked around from behind his desk. Hayley stood as well assuming he was dismissing her. But when she turned to leave he took hold of her arm and pulled her close. "You are not going to the Bayou alone," he told her, looking into her eyes. "And you are _not_ marrying Jackson." His hand moved to cradle the back of her head, and he punctuated his directives with a kiss she felt down to her toes.


	17. Resolutions and Obligations

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.  
Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 17: Resolutions and Obligation** s

 **Later That Day**

"I could have gone alone," Hayley griped as she and Rebekah drove out to the Bayou.

"After what happened last time? Elijah would never hear of it," Rebekah replied.

"No one would attack the wolves now that he's made his orders clear, would they?" Hayley asked, fully convinced no one would be that stupid.

"Probably not, but we have to more to worry about than the vampires," Rebekah told her. "They're meeting with the witches today."

"Well at least I didn't have to make the first move," Hayley added. "He kissed me."

Rebekah squealed. "He did? I'm so excited! I have Marcel back and now Elijah has you. Everything is going right in my world, for once!"

* * *

Marcel returned to the compound after notifying the witches of the meeting. It was no easy feat. The elders were appropriately skeptical of his motives and made themselves hard to find. So instead, he located Sophie Deveraux and made his pitch to her. "I'm here on behalf of our king," he began.

"Elijah," Sophie interrupted.

"So that's why he's so eager to make nice with the witches. You got to him," Marcel commented, realizing Sophie must have contacted Elijah regarding the state of things.

"We spoke," Sophie admitted. "But maybe he also knows your way isn't the right way."

Marcel had to swallow his pride and admit he and his king did not see eye to eye. "He has a different approach, one I don't understand."

Sophie had to stop herself from gloating. She was thrilled Elijah had exercised his authority over Marcel and things were changing.

"He wants to meet with the Elders today at the compound; can you arrange it?" Marcel asked.

"We'll be there," Sophie promised. She was inviting herself even though she wasn't an elder of the coven. She wouldn't miss this for the world.

* * *

 **The Bayou**

"You two talk amongst yourselves," Rebekah told Hayley and Jackson. "I'll just be over here." She walked a few yards away and sat on a rock.

"Does she have to be here?" Jackson queried.

"Elijah insisted," Hayley told him. "And she can hear us from anywhere around here so she might as well stay nearby."

Jackson wasn't happy. Having a vampire in the area already sent the rest of the pack into the woods. But it was also clear that the vampire king was calling the shots where Hayley was concerned.

"Did everyone make it through last night OK?" Hayley asked.

"Yes, thanks. You're pregnant and can't turn so I don't need to ask how you did. But I see you wear a moonlight ring; any chance you have some more of those?" Jackson inquired.

"Unfortunately not, but I'm working on that particular problem," Hayley replied, not wanting to make promises she didn't know she could keep.

"I appreciate that. The pack needs you, and not just for rings." Jackson told her. "Thanks to Marcel there are so few of us left. You're the first sign of hope we've had in a long time. You'd be a real inspiration to everyone."

Hayley nodded her head. "I understand that and I want to help."

"Not help," Jackson corrected her. "Lead."

"Well that's not going to bloody happen," Rebekah quipped from her rock.

Jackson challenged her. "Why, because Elijah won't allow it? Maybe he'll just wipe us all out so he doesn't have to worry about it."

Rebekah stood up; was this werewolf spoiling for a fight?

Hayley intervened. "Jackson, Elijah is fair, he would never do that. This isn't about him, it's about me."

Rebekah sat back down and then Jackson faced Hayley again. She continued. "As I told you the other night, I'm carrying Klaus' child. Our child is a Hybrid like him, and that means I'm connected to the vampires too. I can't just move here." She left out the other major complication, that she loved Elijah Mikelson.

Rebekah didn't bring that up but did chime in. "And we will never let that baby leave our home."

Hayley was in an impossible situation, and it was starting to depress her. She looked to Jackson to make things easier on her, but he did just the opposite.

"We need you Hayley. I need you. I want to marry you. Look, do me a favor and just think about it."

Hayley numbly said she would and then said goodbye. Rebekah tried to discuss things with her on the drive home, but Hayley remained silent knowing she was going to have to give up something important to her before all was said and done.

* * *

 **The Mikelson Compound**

Before heading out for the meeting with the vampires, the witch elders performed two spells. The first was to protect them from harm; entering the home of ancient vampires was a risky business. The second was to seek guidance from their ancestors. The last time they were contacted, the ancestors told them of the vampire king Elijah coming to New Orleans. That news was positive for the witches. It gave them hope that Marcel Gerard's tyrannical ways would soon end. This time the news was not so optimistic. The ancestors warned the coven to beware of the wolves amongst the demons. The witch regent, Agnes, already knew about the Hybrid Nikalus Mikelson, but what other vampire-associated wolves did they have to worry about?

Later, the witch elders and Sophie arrived at the Mikelson compound for the sit-down. Agnes reluctantly allowed Sophie to attend. "You did facilitate this I suppose," she admitted. Sophie thought they should be more grateful to her.

"Thank you for coming," Elijah greeted them. They all took seats around a large table in the courtyard.

"Sophie tells us you plan to change the way your kind deals with us," Agnes said.

Elijah didn't much like her tone or manner of addressing him. "My kind? I am the king of the vampires, and I speak for all of them in New Orleans and everywhere else. And you will address me respectfully or this meeting will end prematurely."

Trevor was standing behind his Sire and was hoping things wouldn't escalate. Niklaus and Marcel were also seated at the table, and both were ready to pounce if Elijah indicated there was a need.

Agnes was a proud woman and she had confidence in the protection spell, but also knew she shouldn't blow this opportunity for peace. "Forgive me," she requested. "Old habits die hard."

Elijah nodded his head. "I understand. You're so used to seeing us as the enemy." He looked at Marcel for effect. "But I am in charge now, and I have no interest in being enemies with the witches. Perhaps Sophie didn't tell you, my mother was an Original Witch."

"She did tell us," Agnes said. "And I can see that gives you a very different perspective."

"I believe in the balance," Elijah explained. "I would like us to live in peace and to cooperate when it suits both our interests. Isn't that what you want as well?"

Agnes agreed it was and the two leaders stood and shook hands. As the witches prepared to go, Hayley and Rebekah returned home; they all filed past each other.

The witches left the compound and headed back into the Quarter. As they walked down the street Agnes told one of the other elders in a quiet voice, " _That_ was another werewolf, and if I'm not mistaken she is pregnant. It's just as the ancestors warned. We need to keep an eye on her."


	18. Romance

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 18: Romance**

 **The Mikelson Compound  
the Following Month**

The day walkers were very unhappy. Despite residing in their own apartment across the compound from the Original Family, they felt as if they lived right in with their superiors. There was so much sex going on over there they didn't have any respite from the constant moans and groans. After all, vampires do have enhanced hearing.

"I can't take much more of this," Thierry griped. "It's not as if any of us are getting laid right now."

"I can't believe Lord Niklaus is doing it with a human," Diego complained. "Isn't that against the rules or something?"

"Not if he compels her to forget it afterwards," Thierry corrected him.

"Why would he want to have what sounds like great sex with her, and then make her forget it? He's got too big an ego for that," Diego wisecracked.

"Don't let him hear you say that," Thierry warned. "And Our Sire is doing the pregnant werewolf. I mean, seriously?"

"Marcel's the only one that makes any sense. That Original girl is hot stuff."

"That's Lady Rebekah to you," Thierry retorted.

* * *

"Elijah," Hayley snuggled into him, blissfully satiated.

"The answer is still 'no'," he told her without letting her finish her sentence. "We're not having intercourse until you've had the baby, so you'll have to wait at least three more months."

Hayley couldn't help but smile at the thought of how good it would be when it finally happened. Not that Elijah didn't know other ways to please her, and did so usually on a twice-daily basis. And she managed to keep him fairly satisfied; no easy task with 1,000 plus year old vampire and no copulation. "So you've said a million times," she quipped. "That wasn't what I wanted to talk about."

"I just assumed," he retorted smiling as well. "Since you beg me for it all the time."

Hayley swatted him on the chest but didn't disengage from his embrace. "Seriously, we need to talk about after the baby is born, other than sex stuff."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, my wolves still need me to lead them and I can't do that from here," she told him knowing he didn't want to hear it.

"Well you're going to have to do it from here," Elijah replied in a stern voice. "Neither you nor the baby are living in the Bayou. Look," he pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes. "I understand the responsibilities of royalty, probably better than anyone. But it's just out of the question."

"What am I supposed to do?" Hayley exclaimed. "I've already told Jackson there won't be any arranged marriage."

"You had no choice in that matter," Elijah reminded her. "If you had agreed to the marriage, I would have made sure there was no more Jackson!" Hayley had no doubt he meant it. "I have an idea," Elijah continued. "What if the remaining pack members move back into the Quarter? They used to live here."

"You'd allow that?" Hayley asked, her heart pounding with the prospect of a good solution to the problem.

"Of course," Elijah responded. "We are not at war with the wolves anymore so why not?"

"Thank you!" Hayley cried punctuating her gratitude with a big kiss.

"You're welcome. Now let's get back to you begging me to…"

* * *

"You're insatiable!" Marcel exclaimed as Rebekah climbed on top of him, yet again. "Good thing I'm immortal or you would have killed me by now!"

"Seems to me you can handle it fine," Rebekah stated. "And we have decades to make up for."

Marcel took her face in his hands, kissed her, and whispered, "I don't ever want us to be apart again."

"We won't be," she promised.

"You don't know that for sure," Marcel warned her. "Our Sire might get pissed off at me and put an end to us, to me."

"Are you doing anything to get him pissed at you?" Rebekah became concerned and didn't proceed with her plan to mount Marcel again.

"Not intentionally. But I don't agree with him making peace with the witches and werewolves, and he knows it."

Rebekah gave a warning of her own. "You can disagree with him but don't disobey him. He's willing to listen to different points of view but once he's made his decision it's final."

"I just hope he doesn't regret it somewhere down the road. I don't trust those witches," Marcel stated.

"You know, if we were married he would never try to keep us apart no matter how mad you made him," Rebekah suggested. "You'd be part of the family."

Marcel thought it over. Vampires rarely married; since they couldn't procreate there wasn't much need for it. But being a real member of the Mikelson clan would be the best life insurance policy he could ever get.

* * *

"Remember what you have to do when I walk you out," Klaus quietly reminded his human companion Camille as she dressed.

"Yes Klaus, I remember. Just like I remember every time I come here. You walk me to the street entrance and pretend to compel me to forget ever being here. I get it."

Klaus shook his head. "No you don't get it. My brother would skin me alive if he knew I wasn't compelling you to forget. It's against the rules."

"So why don't you do it?" Camille wondered, not that she wanted her mind messed with.

"Because it'll slowly drive you mad, and you mean too much to me for me to do that to you," Klaus admitted.

"Thank you for that," Camille sincerely replied. "It's still hard to believe the cute guy I met while tending bar at Rousseau's is a supernatural being, let alone a vampire/werewolf hybrid."

"Who's expecting a child with another werewolf," Klaus remarked with a smirk.

"Yeah that too!" Camille smiled. "OK, I'm ready for my performance, let's go."

* * *

 **Elijah's Study  
The Following Day**

"So you make sure all the vampires know and act accordingly," Elijah finished informing Marcel the werewolves would be moving back into the Quarter.

Marcel chose his words carefully; the last thing he wanted was to make the King angry with him. "Sire, please hear me out."

"What is it?"

"I will of course obey any order you give," Marcel began.

"Glad to hear it," Elijah quipped.

"But I have some concerns I would appreciate being able to express to you," Marcel requested.

"About the werewolves, go ahead."

"Them and the witches; Sire, I understand you wanting to live in peace with them. I'm just not sure I believe they want the same thing," Marcel explained.

"I can assure you the werewolves do," Elijah replied. "Hayley is their Queen and they want to be near her. She wants the same, and _she_ will ensure they don't move against us."

"OK that's probably the case. But the witches are another story. Trust me, those elders have a deep-rooted fear and hate for us," Marcel persisted.

"A fear and hate you helped foster. Your concerns are noted Marcel," Elijah cut him off. "But I expect that will be the last time you bring up the subject."

Marcel knew the expectation was really a command so he dutifully answered, "Yes Sire. Um, there is one other thing…"

"What?" Elijah asked, clearly irritated.

"…not about any of that stuff, I promise." Marcel quickly explained. "It's about Bekah and me."

"You mean the Lady Rebekah? What about her and you?" Elijah corrected Marcel's manner of addressing his sister.

Marcel smiled. "Sire, I'm hoping there will come a day when I may refer to her as 'Bekah' without you finding fault with it."

"And how do you propose to achieve that?" Elijah asked, indicating he couldn't imagine the scenario.

"By making her my wife," Marcel replied. "I'd like your permission to marry her."


	19. Missing

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.

Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 19: Missing**

 **The Mikelson Compound  
Two Months Later**

"Where is Hayley?" Elijah asked Niklaus, unable to find her anywhere in the compound.

"Rebekah roped her into helping with the wedding plans, remember? I think they're out looking at gowns or some-such nonsense," Klaus informed him.

Elijah was concerned. "She might give birth any moment. Don't you think she should be here when that happens?"

"She's a wolf Elijah, not some delicate human female. They drop their pups in the Bayou all the time."

"Your child is not a 'pup' Niklaus, and Hayley's not an ordinary wolf," Elijah grumbled. "I'm calling her to come back here. Rebekah should know better." But despite his statement, Elijah called his sister, not his lover. Hayley didn't much like being ordered around even by the king of the vampires.

"Elijah!" Rebekah picked up the phone quickly. "I was just going to call you!"

"What's wrong?" Elijah asked, knowing in his gut something was.

"It's Hayley, she's gone!"

"What are you talking about? What do you mean 'gone'?" Elijah tried not to panic but his wide eyes alarmed Klaus as well.

"I was trying on a dress with the attendant helping me, and when I came out she wasn't here. I called her cell, and then realized it was on the floor near the door to the shop!" Rebekah cried. "I have a really bad feeling about this Elijah."

Elijah shared that feeling. "Start looking for her," he told his sister. "I'll organize a search from here." He hung up the phone and looked at Klaus who, of course, had heard the entire exchange.

"We'll find her, brother," he promised Elijah. "And we will destroy whoever has taken her."

Elijah tried to maintain his mental discipline and started barking out orders to anyone within earshot, which was almost the entire compound. Trevor rushed to his Sire's side.

"Get to the Bayou," Elijah told Klaus. "Make sure those wolves haven't done this." Klaus thought that was a waste of time but didn't argue and headed out. Elijah then called for Marcel.

Marcel hurried over. "What's going on?"

"Hayley is missing and I have a strong feeling that you were right about those witches. Find them, any of them, and bring them here."

Marcel bowed his head and ran off not wanting to be right, not this time.

* * *

When Marcel returned to the courtyard he was pulling a struggling Sophie Deveraux behind him. The compound was empty except for Elijah, who wanted to be out searching but knew their best hope was getting a witch to talk, and Trevor, who wouldn't leave his king's side.

"Where is she?" Elijah asked Sophie, his dilated eyes and pronounced facial veins indicating the seriousness of his intent.

Sophie shook her head adamantly, her fear palpable to the vampires. "I swear I have no idea. I didn't know they were planning anything like this! We had an agreement…"

"We did, and you have broken it," Elijah replied.

"Not me! I didn't do anything to Hayley!" Sophie tried her best to convince him.

Elijah stepped closer and put his hand on the back of her head. Gripping it tightly, he stared into her eyes and compelled her to tell the truth.

"I didn't know anything about this," she told him again.

He released her head. "Fine, you weren't involved. But you know who was and you're going to help me find them and Hayley. Do that name locating spell you did on me."

"But…but I didn't do that spell, the elders did. I don't have the power," Sophie explained in a trembling voice.

"You're either part of the solution or part of the problem," Marcel warned her.

Elijah was at the end of his patience and Sophie could sense it and offered, "If I go to Agnes' home I can get something of hers and perform a traditional locator spell. If anyone's taken Hayley, Agnes would definitely be involved."

Elijah looked at Trevor. "Fetch something of Hayley's." Trevor sped off to do just that. When he returned with an article of clothing, Elijah ordered Sophie, "Do the spell here."

Sophie shook her head. "There are other things I need but they'll be at Agnes' house. I'll take that," she put her hand out for the item, "and do a search for each of them. Maybe they're not together."

"They're together," Elijah glumly stated. He then looked at Marcel. "Go with her and call me the second you know anything." Marcel nodded his head and then led Sophie back out of the compound.

Elijah headed out as well. He could no longer stand around waiting; he needed to search the Quarter for Hayley himself. Before leaving, he instructed his servant, "Stay here in case someone returns with information. I'll call you if we find out where she is." He didn't hold out any hope that Hayley herself would return.

* * *

Klaus drove quickly back into New Orleans. He'd been to the Bayou and was satisfied Hayley had not been there, information he relayed to Elijah via phone. Jackson was appropriately alarmed to hear of Hayley's disappearance and offered for the wolves to join the search.

"I was going to order you to do just that," Klaus said.

Jackson bristled at Klaus' choice of words, but this wasn't the time to deal with it. Having noted Jackson's reaction, Klaus didn't hesitate to assert himself. "I am _the_ Hybrid, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Jackson reluctantly admitted.

"And that means I'm more powerful than the lot of you," Klaus stated. "But we can deal with that at another time."

* * *

 **The Home of the Witch Regent, Agnes**

"You'd better hurry up," Marcel told Sophie.

"You can't rush a spell, just calm down," she retorted.

"Our Sire will rip you limb from limb if you can't find her. I don't think being calm enters into this at all," Marcel warned.

Sophie was already sufficiently freaked out. She didn't need the threat of a gruesome death to motivate her. She tried to steady her hands and perform the appropriate steps of the spell, Agnes' hairbrush providing what was needed to locate her.

"They're both in the cemetery," she reluctantly told Marcel. "Our cemetery, where our ancestors are buried."

"Why would they take her there?" Marcel asked.

"Because they can harness the ancestors' power, and because no vampire can enter unless invited in."

"What are they trying to accomplish?" Marcel was now bordering on panicking himself.

"My guess, they want to destroy that baby and prevent a race of Hybrids from being born."


	20. Birth and Death

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.  
Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 20: Birth and Death**

Everyone was contacted and they all converged on the French Quarter cemetery. Sophie reluctantly entered first and then invited all the vampires in, most likely ensuring the end to ancestral magic for her coven. Then again, there would probably be no witches left to practice that magic once the Originals got through with them. "We might not be able to get near them," she warned the others. "They'll be well protected."

Marcel walked over to the wrought-iron fence and pulled off a piece. It resembled a spear with a Fleur-de-lis tip on the end. "Good idea," Klaus told him, and did the same.

"Let me spell them," Sophie said. She murmured an incantation over the iron objects. She then explained, "It might make them more useful against their magic."

They headed in and decided to spread out to cover more ground. Elijah, Rebekah, and Trevor went one way, Klaus, Marcel, and Sophie another. Elijah's trio walked past a small, obsolete chapel, and he suddenly stopped. He could feel something horrible had happened there. He hurried inside with the others following. It was dank, dark, and full of cobwebs but at the end of the aisle he could just make out a figure lying on the alter. He sped ahead and then stopped cold. There, in a pool of blood, lay the lifeless body of the woman he loved, and there was no baby to be found.

* * *

 **Thirty Minutes Earlier**

Hayley's screams shook the stone chapel. After watching her for months, and realizing she was indeed pregnant with the Hybrid's child, Agnes and the other witch elders enacted a plan. They kidnapped her from the bridal shop when Rebekah and the store clerk were in the dressing room. Putting a spell on her that rendered her unconscious, they carried her out the back door and into a van. When she awoke, she was lying on a cold hard slab of stone. "What the hell?" she wondered out loud, finding herself unable to move.

Agnes, whom Hayley recognized as having walked past at the compound months earlier, stood over her and began an incantation. Hayley started to feel her womb contract and cried, "What are you doing?"

"It's time for this abomination to be born," another witch told her. "Then we can kill it ceremonially."

"No!" Hayley screamed. She fought as hard as she could but couldn't break free of the bondage spell. The contractions started coming quickly, one after the other, and she knew the baby was on its way. "Please Elijah," she silently prayed. "Please find us!"

Moments later she heard her baby's cries. Agnes ceased her chanting and picked up the child. After cutting the umbilical cord she ordered the others, "Kill the werewolf." Hayley started to scream again but the sound was terminated by a knife cutting her throat.

* * *

 **Thirty Minutes Later**

Klaus' search team turned the corner at a crypt and was confronted by the sight of three witches standing around a stone sarcophagus. On it lay a squirming infant. "My child!" Klaus exclaimed. The witches looked up and saw the vampires and Sophie. They didn't seem troubled by the interruption. Klaus rushed towards them but hit an invisible impediment and was thrown backwards 20 feet. His wrought-iron iron spear left his hand and hit the ground with a clanking sound. "It's a barrier spell," Sophie told Marcel. "I was afraid of that."

Marcel wasn't put off. He settled his own weapon in his hand and threw it with incredible force towards the witch in the center of the configuration. With the aid of Sophie's spell, it passed through the barrier, and tore through the witch's chest and heart. She fell backwards. Her death weakened their protection and Sophie let that be known to Klaus. "Go now!" He got up and sped ahead once again. This time he felt only slight resistance and easily reached the remaining two witches. He quickly dispatched each of them using both hands to snap their necks simultaneously. He then picked up his child, his daughter. He cradled her close and whispered, "Hello my sweet little hybrid."

* * *

Trevor and Rebekah watched in horror as Elijah cradled Hayley's lifeless body in his arms, his wails of despair filling the small structure. "What should we do?" Trevor whispered to Rebekah. "I'm not sure," she replied. "But remember what I told you about closing the door? He might have already crossed the threshold."


	21. Rebirth and Retribution

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.  
Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 21: Rebirth and Retribution**

Elijah was numb, unaware of anyone or anything else. Hayley was dead in his arms and her child was gone, his future was gone. He sobbed against her face. Then he felt her stirring and assumed he was going mad. "Elijah," he thought he heard her say.

Rebekah heard her too and rushed over. "Hayley! Brother, she's alive! Close the door Elijah, close the door!"

Elijah pulled his head back and looked at Hayley who had opened her eyes. "How is this possible?" he asked out loud, his head feeling clearer than just a moment before. Then he realized how it came to pass. "The baby's blood; you died with vampire blood in you!" It was true, and that blood had healed her and resurrected her as a hybrid.

Elijah kissed her passionately as Rebekah cried with joy, and Trevor watched with a huge smile on his face. Hayley knew the celebration would have to wait, and when Elijah let her breathe again she asked, "Where's my baby?"

He had to tell her honestly, "I don't know. Niklaus, Marcel, and Sophie Deveraux are searching the cemetery."

"The witches!" Hayley exclaimed. "They did this! They kidnapped me, induced my labor, and paralyzed me so I couldn't fight back. Elijah we have to find them!"

"Let's go," Elijah said helping her up.

"No need for that," a voice rang out. It was Niklaus and he quickly walked the aisle and presented Hayley with their daughter. "She's all right," he told her. Hayley took her gratefully, crying happy tears of her own. Elijah was incredibly relieved.

"The witch elders are dead," Klaus informed him. "And Marcel is rounding up the rest of them to face our retribution."

"We'll deal with that later," Elijah said. "Hayley, before we take your little girl home there's something you'll need to do."

"What's that?" Hayley was confused.

"You'll soon be feeling very hungry for blood," Elijah told her. "You must feed to complete the transition or you will die."

Hayley was already feeling the craving. She got angry at those responsible. "I'll feed on the witches Marcel is collecting."

"You must feed on the blood of the one who turned you," Klaus reluctantly informed her, realizing that meant the baby.

"That's usually true," Elijah interjected. He looked at Hayley. "But since I'm the original vampire my blood can be used to complete anyone's transition. Give your daughter back to her father."

Hayley didn't want to let the baby go but did as Elijah instructed. He then told his brother, sister, and servant, "Take her home. We'll be there soon." Niklaus and the others did as he asked.

Hayley watched them go and inquired, "Was that really necessary?" She did not want to be parted from her baby.

"I don't think you want your child, no matter how old she is, to see this," Elijah commented. He guided her to sit down and then took his place next to her. Presenting his jugular he told her, "Feed my love, feed."

* * *

 **Later that Evening  
Marcel's Warehouse**

"I didn't think you'd want them at the compound," Marcel told Elijah. He and his day walkers had located all the remaining French Quarter witches and brought them to the warehouse.

"You thought correctly," Elijah replied. He'd left Hayley, Niklaus, and their child at home and promised to settle things with the witches himself. Marcel stood to one side of Elijah waiting for instructions with Trevor on the other. The day walkers gathered behind their king, hoping for the green light to spill some blood.

"Elijah," Sophie began to plead for all their lives, "please let me speak on our behalf."

"You helped us," Elijah told her, "so you will be spared. Don't make the mistake of thinking my generosity extends to them."

Despite the warning Sophie still tried appealing to his sense of fairness. "Most of them had nothing to do with this. They wanted to live in peace."

"I'm not sure I care," Elijah told her with a sigh. He wasn't in any mood to be reasonable or just, although the red door had closed almost as quickly as it had reopened.

"A suggestion, Sire," Marcel intervened. When Elijah nodded at him Marcel continued. "What if we compel them all to tell us if they did play a part? If they did, we'll kill them. If not, they can live."

Sophie's heart pounded with the possibility some of the witches would be spared. Elijah thought for a moment and then agreed with Marcel's proposal. "Very well, let's begin."

* * *

The compulsion and questioning took over an hour; dispatching the three guilty witches took only moments. Elijah compelled them to stand in one part of the warehouse together and then told the day walkers, "Avenge us." They gladly sped to the petrified witches and ripped them to shreds, consuming their fill of blood along the way.

The remaining witches, nine of them, were forced to watch the slaughter from the other side of the building. Most averted their eyes, two of them fainted, and one vomited. Sophie was shaking and sweating but didn't look away. There was no way to block out the sound so not seeing wouldn't have been much help. After it was over, Elijah addressed them. "We may continue to live in peace _if_ I am satisfied you all can keep your word this time."

Although shaken, Sophie took it upon herself to speak for the others. "How can we ensure you are satisfied?"

"Only time will prove that," Elijah replied. "Stay in line and we should be fine. Step out of line and that," he turned slightly to point to the carnage behind, "will be your future."

"May…may we bury our dead now?" Sophie asked, still trembling.

"No you may not," Elijah replied. "I've instructed Marcel to dispose of all the bodies including the elders. You will not consecrate them at burial and therefore will not have access to their power. In fact, that cemetery is off-limits to you." In reality, he had told Marcel to bury the dead witches somewhere accessible in case they were needed at a later date as a bargaining chip.

Sophie was dejected. Without access to their ancestors the witches' power was severely limited. They would be no threat to the vampires for a long time. Despite her best efforts, the coven was once again at their mercy. She silently motioned for the others to follow her and they left the warehouse.

Elijah stared at the dead witches and addressed Marcel. "I'm sorry I didn't heed your warning, Marcel."

"I'm sorry I was right," Marcel replied. "Sire, I want you to know that I will never go against you…"

"But you want the right to tell me when you disagree," Elijah finished his sentence.

"I would like that right, and I promise to always do it with respect."

Elijah looked at him. "Well, I suppose I could take a little advice from my brother-in-law."


	22. Two Engagements and a Problem

**Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.  
Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 22: Two Engagements and a Problem**

 **The Mikelson Compound  
the Following Morning**

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Rebekah exclaimed as she peppered her brother's face with kisses. Although he had approved their union months ago, she had just asked Elijah to perform the marriage ceremony for her and Marcel. He agreed.

"Rebekah!" Elijah started to admonish her behavior. Rebekah took over for him, "I know, I know, 'behave like a lady!' Well how can I when you've made me so happy?"

Elijah hugged her instead of continuing to scold her. "I'm glad you are happy. So when is the big event?"

"I guess that's up to you since you're performing the ceremony," Rebekah replied.

"Thanks for that, Sire," Marcel added after standing silently by watching his intended's display of joy.

Elijah then commented, "There could be a problem."

Rebekah disengaged from his embrace and looked at him with concern. "What do you mean? What problem?"

"Not for you; I will happily perform the marriage."

She was confused, "Then what's the bloody problem?"

"Rebekah, watch your language," Elijah told her in a stern voice.

"Sorry, Sire," she sheepishly replied. She knew her brother hated when she used common and coarse language but it was sometimes hard to stop herself. "Please tell me what you mean."

"The problem is mine, not yours," Elijah explained. "I intend to make Hayley my wife."

Rebekah started squealing with excitement but Elijah cut her off. "But who will perform my marriage? I can't very well do it myself and only a king, or queen, can preside over a royal wedding."

Marcel chuckled. "Seriously, in this day and age?"

Elijah glared at him. "You're not my brother-in-law yet."

* * *

 **The Previous Night**

"You want to marry me?" Hayley questioned Elijah with a good amount of surprise in her voice.

"Is that such a strange idea?" Elijah asked back. "I love you; I almost lost you forever. Yes, I want to marry you."

Hayley melted into his arms. "Well that sounds like Heaven."

"More like Hell," Elijah retorted. "Maybe you don't want to be permanently tied to a monster like me."

Hayley hugged him tightly. "Don't you dare insult my future husband like that! Besides, I'm a monster now too, even more of one than you."

"Oh that's right," Elijah teased. "A scary hybrid. But seriously, will you accept me as your forever mate?"

"Of course I will," Hayley sighed, her head against his chest. "So will that make me the queen of the vampires?"

Elijah nodded his head. "As well as the queen of the werewolves."

Hayley pulled back, looked at him, and scoffed. "Not according to your brother. He already told Jackson that he rules over them all, including me."

"Niklaus rules over everyone in his mind," Elijah stated out loud. But inside his mind, a seed had been planted.

"Not you," Hayley corrected him. "He obeys you without question."

"Does he really? It has recently come to my attention that he's breaking one of my rules, quite shamelessly actually."

"What rule?" Hayley asked stunned Klaus would disobey Elijah.

"He hasn't been compelling his human companion…I believe her name is Camille…to forget her encounters with him and the rest of us. He lets her walk out of here knowing we're vampires. I noticed it a while ago, but have yet to confront him."

"And you haven't put a stop to it yet?" Hayley couldn't believe it.

"I've been a bit preoccupied lately," Elijah admitted. "I suppose I'll have to address it now."

"Address it how?" Hayley nervously asked. Klaus was already a devoted father to their child. She didn't want Elijah to terminate him.

"Don't worry, he'll survive whatever I decide to do to him," Elijah promised. "There's another, more important situation I have to deal with though, who is going to marry us. We need to find another royal somewhere."

Hayley changed the subject. "So you know, I've had the baby…"

"Hayley, it's way too soon. You've been through an incredible ordeal," Elijah, knowing where she was headed, cut her off and admonished her.

She reached out and touched his face. "Yes I have. But now that I'm a hybrid, I heal very quickly. I feel fine. In fact, thanks to your blood, I feel great. And just as you want to marry me because you almost lost me for good, I want to make love to you for the same reason."

Elijah knew he couldn't resist any longer. He gathered her into his strong arms and kissed her. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he then murmured against her lips.

Hayley smiled. She knew full well that making love to the most powerful vampire in existence was going to be a physical challenge. And she was more than ready for it.

* * *

 **The Mikelson Compound  
Early the Next Evening**

"Elijah, please brother, I can explain," Niklaus stammered once Elijah had challenged him about his transgression.

"Try calling me 'Sire,' Niklaus, and then explain," Elijah corrected him.

"Sire, it's true I haven't compelled Camille to forget our encounters, or that I'm a vampire, but I _have_ compelled her to never tell anyone about me or us. So you see everything's fine," Klaus stated, hoping that was the case.

Elijah shook his head. "You've always done just as you please regardless of how it affects anyone else. I shouldn't have expected anything different."

Klaus gave him a sly smile. "Does that mean you're not angry with me?"

"No, I am angry but I have too many other important things to deal with right now than to waste my time trying to rehabilitate you," Elijah quipped.

"What things?" Klaus inquired. "Perhaps I can help."

"I've asked Hayley to marry me," Elijah began.

"Excellent, two weddings!" Klaus exclaimed.

"Yes, but there's no one to perform our marriage, we are after all royalty. But perhaps...assemble the family together Niklaus, Marcel included."

* * *

 **Elijah's Study  
Earlier That Afternoon**

"I was surprised you wanted to see me," Sophie Deveraux, the newly elected Witch Regent, stated nervously as she stood before Elijah. "I figured our association was over since we have no power anymore."

"You could have some if you do as I ask," Elijah replied.

Sophie was sufficiently intrigued. Was he saying there was some hope for her coven after all?

"I assume you have the ability to create daylight rings?" he continued.

"Sure, those are fairly simple," Sophie replied.

"And what about moonlight rings?"

"You want a ring to prevent a werewolf from turning at the full moon? I've never made them, but it would be the same principle." Sophie didn't see why she couldn't achieve the goal. "You know, however, I would need access to the ancestor's power to do it."

Elijah nodded his head and made his offer. "I'm prepared to give you the bodies of your dead to bury and access to the cemetery. But you must remember you invited us in there. We can now enter anytime we wish. You will be monitored to ensure you're not plotting against us."

"I understand," Sophie told him, her heart racing.

"In exchange for these privileges, you will create daylight and moonlight rings for me as needed. I will require ten moonlight rings to start."

Sophie agreed to his terms and promised to start on the rings as soon as she had access to the cemetery. She left the compound with a much brighter view of the future.


	23. Two Weddings, a Coronation, etc

**This is the final chapter of this story. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**

 **Sire**  
 **(The Vampire Rules)**

Sire (noun): A respectful form of address for someone of high social status, especially a king; a father or other male forebear.  
Sire (verb): To beget; procreate as the father.

 **Chapter 23: Two Weddings, a Coronation, etc.**

 _The Journal of Elijah Mikelson:_

 _I believe I've figured out solutions to several problems facing us right now. Unfortunately, some of my family members will not be happy with how I choose to resolve them. Of course, I'm quite used to making difficult and unpopular decisions; such is the life of a king. At least I will have someone to share those challenges with going forward. I'm so thankful Hayley is alive and that my niece Hope is healthy and strong. And frankly, Hayley now being a vampire as well as a werewolf has its advantages. The main one of course being that we can share an eternal life together. Plus, I won't have to worry about hurting her when we make love; vampire sex can be quite brutal. I must admit though, she's handled me with no problem so far._

* * *

 **Elijah's Study  
Later That Evening**

"I've brought you all here to inform you of some changes that have occurred, and will be occurring, that affect all of us." Elijah addressed his siblings, Hayley, Marcel, and Trevor, in his study.

"First, as you all know I have consented to Rebekah and Marcel marrying and have agreed to perform the ceremony." Rebekah beamed hearing him state it all out loud again.

"Their engagement prompted me to think about making a similar commitment, and Hayley has agreed to become my wife." It was Hayley's turn to smile, rocking her baby in her arms.

"And of course we are all grateful for the birth of Hope, the first Mikelson child in over 1,000 years." Earlier, Hayley and Niklaus had decided on the baby's name and informed Elijah. He continued, "I would like to perform a naming ceremony as well, to officially welcome Hope into our family." Hope's parents both smiled and thanked him for the suggestion.

"However, since I am the vampire king and Hayley is a werewolf queen we require someone of royal blood to perform our marriage. That posed a problem for which I now have a solution."

Everyone looked at him with confusion. "Sire, brother, what are you talking about?" Rebekah asked.

"I'm talking about Niklaus," Elijah looked at his brother. "You enjoy telling everyone you are the original hybrid as if that gives you some authority, and we all have dismissed it. But in reality, it's true. You are the king of the hybrids, all three of you."

Niklaus was stunned but thrilled at his brother's declaration. Hayley felt quite the opposite. "No way; I'm not kowtowing to him!"

"Hayley," Elijah admonished, "you are the queen of the crescent wolves. Where Niklaus is concerned, you are higher than all the other wolves but still subject to his authority in any matters concerning hybrids, just as my siblings are to me concerning vampires. And while I'm telling you things you don't want to hear, you are now a vampire too which makes you subject to my authority as well."

Hayley was furious, as Elijah knew she'd be. His next statement made her feel a little better, "However, Niklaus is still subject to _my_ authority," he looked at his brother, "and if you ever try taking advantage of your position to hurt Hayley, you'll answer to me."

Klaus nodded his head. "I understand Sire. And Hayley, I promise I have no intention of lording it over you all, well, at least not too often."

Hayley wasn't sure she believed him and asked Elijah, "So what do I get out of this? If you expect me to be grateful there's now another king to perform our marriage you are sorely mistaken. In fact there might not be a marriage, at least not between us!" After consummating their love the previous night, Hayley didn't exactly mean what she said. But she tried hard to seem as if she did.

Elijah gave her a very serious look; he believed her words. "If you're threatening me with Jackson and the arranged marriage, don't bother. I already told you how that would turn out." He took a deep breath and let it out with his anger before continuing. "But I know there must be something in this for you besides marrying me. I have made an arrangement with the witches."

"Ah, that's why Sophie was here earlier," Marcel interrupted. Elijah turned and looked at him. "Keeping tabs on me Marcel?"

"No Sire, on her, as you instructed."

"Right, anyway as I was saying," Elijah continued, looking back to Hayley. "I have reached an agreement with the witches. Sophie will be working on creating moonlight rings for your wolves."

Hayley's heart started pounding; "Enough for the whole pack? Oh Elijah, that would change everything!" she exclaimed.

"So is our wedding on again?" Elijah teased.

"Just a moment," Klaus interrupted. "As king of the hybrids shouldn't I get input on these rings?"

"Oh shut up and hold the baby!" Hayley exclaimed, putting Hope in her father's arms so she could take her future husband into her own.

* * *

 **The Mikelson Compound Courtyard  
Nighttime, Two Weeks Later**

"How much more of this do we have to sit through?" Diego asked Thierry, his eyes rolling back to indicate how fed up he was with all the theatrics.

"Let's see," Thierry replied looking down at the printed program in his hand. "We've finished the crowning of the Hybrid King, the naming of the Hybrid Princess, and the marriage of Lady Rebekah and Marcel. Looks like we've just got the main event and then we're done." Looking up and seeing his friend wasn't satisfied, he added, "Now that he's in the family, Marcel thinks he can get our parties reinstated. They'll have to be at the warehouse but that's ok. It's beyond time for us to have some fun again."

Diego instinctively moved a hand up and rubbed his own neck, remembering Elijah's punishment the last time fun was mentioned. "Don't worry," Thierry told him. "This time it'll be Marcel's neck in jeopardy."

It was taking a while to set up for the main event; it was, after all, a royal wedding. But finally all the flowers and attendants were in place. Niklaus proudly took his position at the end of the courtyard and waited. Facing him, Rebekah stood to one side and Trevor on the other. Trevor had argued with his Sire about being included in the ceremony. "Sire, I am not royalty, I am the servant to royalty. I should not be featured so prominently in your wedding!"

Elijah was not put off. "You are _my_ servant so do as I command. Niklaus is performing the marriage, and you are the male I am closest with after him. You have been a faithful friend and supporter and I want you to stand with me." Trevor could do nothing but agree with his king, despite how unworthy he felt of the honor.

Rebekah was thrilled to stand up for Hayley, her soon-to-be-sister and friend. Marcel was on baby duty and held Hope while seated in the front row. Niklaus had wanted to invite Camille but Elijah put his foot down. "Do you really want your human in an enclosed area for hours with a hundred hungry vampires? My wedding is not being interrupted by a feeding frenzy."

Elijah appeared at the end of the aisle and Trevor cleared his throat. "All stand and hail Our Sire, Elijah Mikelson, King of the Vampires!" All the assembled vampires stood as one and turned to face the aisle. Elijah strutted past them in tuxedoed splendor. His heart was full of pride and love for his bride, his family, and even for the vampire society he had come to New Orleans to tame. His now loyal subjects bowed their heads as he passed.

He reached the others, took his place next to Trevor, and turned back to look for Hayley. When she appeared, he felt he would be blinded by her light. She was dressed in a simple, straight, white satin gown, which hung from thin straps at her shoulders. Her hair was long and loose and a diamond tiara sat upon her head; elegant sandals adorned her feet. She was beautiful, regal, and very, very happy. She walked slowly and deliberately down the aisle, not wanting to trip and spoil the moment. When she reached Elijah, she bowed her head with respect. She then looked at Niklaus and did the same, knowing how much it meant to Elijah that she observe the new pecking order. The two kings returned the favor and bowed to her, and then Klaus began the ceremony. Elijah took Hayley's hands in his, grateful to have his queen by his side from this day forward, always and forever.

 **THE END**


End file.
